Heavy rain battering Switzerland triggered landslides and flooding that has halted train and road traffic near the capital Bern, authorities said on Sunday.

A landslide blocked the railway between Bern and the western city of Fribourg while flooding cut the line between Bern and the town of Thun, Swiss Federal Railways said.

Another landslide on the line between Montreux and Zweisimmen, near Bern, also halted rail traffic.

The company said that it had replaced train services in the affected areas with buses to reduce the impact on passengers.

Flooding also forced the closure of several roads in the Bern region, national road company Viasuisse said.

Bern and Fribourg were hit by heavy rain that began early Saturday evening and continued non-stop until midnight.

Fribourg police said that 22 homes had been flooded in their region, as streams overflowed, and that there had been several landslides that blocked roads.

There were no injuries.

A section of the A12 motorway between Fribourg and Bern was closed for six hours due to flooding, as its drains were unable to absorb the heavy rain.

In the small town of Koeniz, on the outskirts of Bern, the local fire service worked throughout the night to deal with flooded streams and landslides, evacuating several homes.

The weekend's heaviest rain fell in Moleson, near Fribourg, where meteorologists recorded a total of 84 litres per square metre.