The Niesen Funicular is a

funicular railway A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite en ...

in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. It links a lower terminus, in the village of

Mülenen Mülenen is a village in the Frutigen-Niedersimmental administrative district of the Swiss canton of Bern. The village is divided between the municipalities of Reichenbach im Kandertal and Aeschi bei Spiez. Mülenen station, on the Lötschberg ...

and adjacent to Mülenen station on the

Lötschberg railway line The Lötschberg is an Alpine mountain massif and usually associated with a major, historically important transit axis of the Alps in Switzerland with, at its core, the Lötschen Pass (german: Lötschenpass, Swiss German: ''Lötschepass''). The mou ...

, with an upper terminus at the summit of the

Niesen The Niesen is a mountain peak of the Bernese Alps in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland. The summit of the mountain is in elevation. It overlooks Lake Thun, in the Bernese Oberland region, and forms the northern end of a ridge that stretches north ...

. The line is owned and operated by the Niesenbahn AG. Construction of the line commenced in 1906, and it opened in 1910. The service stairway for the Niesenbahn funicular is listed by Guinness Book of Records as the longest stairway, with 11,674 steps and a height of . The stairs are usually employee-only, but there is a public run called "Niesenlauf" once a year.

Operation

The line operates from late April to mid November, with cars operating every 30 minutes between 08:00 and 17:00. A 15-minute interval service is provided at busy periods, and evening services are operated on some days. The line comprises two sections, with an interchange station at Schwandegg, and has the following parameters: Niesen-Bahn-Ges

References

External links

*
Official website of the Niesenbahn funicular
{{Coord, 46.639356, 7.69021, type:railwaystation_region:CH, display=title Funicular railways in Switzerland Metre gauge railways in Switzerland Transport in the canton of Bern 1910 establishments in Switzerland