18 Dec 2017
World's steepest railway opens as tourist attraction in Switzerland
BY Tom Anstey
The world’s steepest funicular railway has opened in Schwyz, Switzerland, doubling as a new tourist attraction and a way for locals to reach the car-free Alpine village of Stoos.
Using specially constructed cylindrical carriages designed to tilt and adjust to the 110 per cent gradient of the mountain track, the Stoos Bahn railway runs over 1,720m (5,640ft) from the valley floor to the Fronalpstock mountain plateau at 1,300m (4,300ft).
Rising 743m (2,440ft) on its four-minute journey, the train’s four cabins can carry 136 people at a time, reaching speeds of up to 10 metres per second (36kmph).
“This technical marvel turns a journey into an experience,” said the railway’s operator.
“In the summer, the mountain village is a destination for varied family outings and offers versatile mountain sports. In the winter, 35km (21.7m) of fun on the slopes can be experienced between Fronalpstock and Klingenstock.”
The record-breaking CHF52m (US$53m, €45m, £40m) railway took 14 years to build. Close to Lake Lucerne, the Stoos Bahn beats the previous record holder – the Gelmerbahn – a funicular railway, also in Switzerland, which reaches a gradient of 106 per cent on its ascent to the Gelmersee lake.
Switzerland’s president, Doris Leuthard, inaugurated the new line on 15 December. It replaces the Schwyz-Stoos cable car, which had been in operation since 1933.
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