Although the Franco-Swiss Company (Compagnie Franco-Suisse) had already opened a railway line through the Val-de-Travers on 25 July 1860, this ran through the higher ground of the valley of Les Verrières and on to Pontarlier.

The line of the Régional du Val-de-Travers was therefore built largely parallel to that of the Franco-Suisse and ran on the valley floor from Travers.

The shortage of coal during the Second World War led to the virtual complete electrification of the Swiss railway network.

The RVT adopted the SBB electrification system (15 kV 16⅔ Hz) and began electrical operations on its line on 4 May 1944.

In accordance with the concept for standardized types of rolling stock developed by the Federal Office of Transport (EAV) and the Swiss rolling stock industry, the RVT procured a so-called EAV-Triebwagen ("EAV railcar", which was numbered 103), three matching control cars (201–203) and two standard cars, class 1 (Einheitswagen I, nos 301–302), that made possible the operation of push-pull trains.

The disused section was revived for its 100th anniversary in 1983 to carry nostalgic trips, which benefitted from the founding of the Vapeur Val-de-Travers (VVT) steam railway club in 1984.