Stoosbahn (Schwyz–Stoos funicular)
Standseilbahn Schwyz–Stoos
Interesting facts
- Each car carries up to 136 passengers in four cylindrical cabins of 34 each, giving the line a capacity of about 1,500 people an hour.
- The cars travel at up to 10 metres per second, about 36 km/h, hauled by a steel rope 54 millimetres thick.
- On its opening the Stoosbahn took the title of world's steepest funicular from the Gelmerbahn, another Swiss funicular.
- The track runs through three tunnels: Zingelfluh at 245 metres, Ober Zingeli at 80 metres and Stoosfluh at 223 metres.
- Its track was laid by a purpose-built machine that placed prefabricated concrete segments, each 5.6 metres long, up the slope.
- The final tunnel breakthrough came only in February 2017, ten months before the first passengers rode the line.
- When the project was costed in 2010 it was expected to need 39.5 million Swiss francs, well below the final bill.
- In 2012 voters of the district of Schwyz approved a five-million-franc contribution with a 77.9 percent majority.
- A 1,000 kW drive housed in the upper station powers the whole line.
Why it is worth it
The Stoosbahn climbs 744 metres in a straight line from the floor of the Muota valley to the mountain resort of Stoos, and at its steepest point the track rises 110 metres for every 100 travelled – a slope of almost 48 degrees. Since it opened in December 2017 it has been the steepest funicular in Switzerland and Europe, and it is marketed, with Guinness recognition, as the steepest in the world. The Katoomba Scenic Railway in Australia is steeper still, but that line is classed as an inclined lift rather than a funicular with two counterbalanced cars and a passing loop.
What makes the ride memorable is less the number than the vehicle. Each of the two cars is built from four barrel-shaped cabins with wide windows, and each cabin is rotated hydraulically as the gradient changes, so the floor stays level from bottom to top. Passengers stand upright while the hillside tilts past the glass, board on the flat at both stations, and can bring a pram or wheelchair aboard without steps. The line leaves the valley station at 562 metres, crosses the Muota on a 90-metre bridge, then pitches up into the Zingelfluh tunnel, where the maximum gradient is reached; the cars pass each other on a loop at about 1,091 metres, and the upper station stands at 1,306 metres beside the Klingenstock hotel. The 1.74-kilometre journey takes about four minutes.
The funicular replaced an older line that had served Stoos since 1933 on a different route. An aerial cableway was first planned instead, but it was dropped when it became clear that shielding it from stray bullets from a nearby shooting range would be disproportionately expensive. Tunnelling through hard rock proved slow – drill heads had to be changed again and again, and a construction ropeway collapsed in 2013 – so the opening slipped by two years and costs reached 52 million Swiss francs. The electromechanical system and cars were supplied by Garaventa of Goldau, and among the first passengers on 15 December 2017 was the Swiss Federal President, Doris Leuthard.
Getting there
The valley station at Schwyz–Schlattli is about 3.6 km from the centre of Schwyz, the cantonal capital; Zürich Airport (ZRH) is roughly 53 km away. Buses run between Schwyz railway station and the valley station,.
Plan your visit
We have no confirmed visit data yet. Once it is confirmed, this block also carries the date it was checked.
Nearby places
- Vitznau–Rigi railway 14.6 km · rack-railway
On these lists
From the encyclopaedia
The Stoosbahn, also known as the Schwyz–Stoos funicular or Standseilbahn Schwyz–Stoos, is a funicular railway in the Swiss canton of Schwyz. It connects the Hintere Schlattli in the municipalities of Muotatal, Morschach, and Schwyz with the village and mountain resort of Stoos, above Morschach. On a length of 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi), it overcomes a height difference of 744 metres (2,441 ft). It opened on 15 December 2017 and replaces the older Schwyz-Stoos funicular, operating since 1933 on a different route. The carriages are barrel-shaped and rotate to maintain a level floor surface for passengers. Construction took five years and cost 52 million Swiss francs.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
46.99107, 8.67331per Wikidata