Converted Train Carriage Extends Support for Vulnerable Residents in Switzerland Community

Since October 5, 2025, the ‘Soup-y-RaiL’ train carriage will expand its service in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, to include Sundays. The initiative offers a warm space where simple, nutritious meals are distributed to homeless, lonely, and socially disadvantaged residents. The additional day is intended to help address both social isolation and food insecurity in the city.

The “Soup-y-RaiL” project in Biel/Bienne operates in partnership with the local association rueAcoeur and with the support of ADRA Switzerland. Each Sunday, ADRA Switzerland assigns a volunteer team to staff the carriage.

Beyond providing hot meals, volunteers offer conversation and social contact to guests who visit the carriage.

“The people who receive a meal in the train carriage appreciate not only the food but also, above all, the companionship and conversations,” said project manager Sabrina Hang. “This project is as much about human dignity as it is about nutrition.”

From Bulle to Biel

The brightly painted carriage previously operated in Bulle but had to be moved due to renovation work at the station there. Project leaders began looking for a similar social context in which the initiative could continue.

In Biel/Bienne, co-president of rueAcoeur and social worker Kurt Zaugg played a key role in securing a new location and coordinating the takeover. He worked with ADRA Switzerland and other partners to organize the relocation and restart of the project.

A night-time transfer

Moving the heavy rail car from Bulle to Biel/Bienne required a complex night-time operation in January 2024. The transfer took place in winter conditions using a special transport vehicle.

“We had to wait until the last train of the Täuffelen-Ins Railway had passed,” Zaugg recounts. Security services and the police accompanied the maneuver to ensure its smooth execution. According to Zaugg, the organization and transport costs were completely waived. “It was a gift to us,” he shares, seeing it as a powerful sign of support for crucial social welfare initiatives.

Ongoing support needed

The expansion of “Soup-y-RaiL” to Sundays, supported by ADRA Switzerland’s volunteer teams, means that help is available on a day that can be particularly isolating for many people living on the margins.

Project partners emphasize that continued community backing and resources are needed to secure the long-term viability of the service and reach more people in need. For organizers, the work in the train carriage is a practical expression of shared responsibility for vulnerable residents in Biel/Bienne.

The original article was published on the Inter-European Division news site.