The Pfäffikon–Arth-Goldau railway is a largely single-track standard-gauge line in Switzerland. It was the only line built by the original
''Schweizerischen Südostbahn'' (Swiss Southeastern Railway). Two connecting lines, the
Rapperswil–Pfäffikon railway
The Rapperswil–Pfäffikon railway (also known as the Zürichsee-Gotthardbahn—Lake Zürich-Gotthard Railway; ZGB) is a short single-track standard-gauge line connecting in the Swiss canton of Schwyz and in St. Gallen over Lake Zürich.
His ...
over the
Seedamm The Rapperswil Seedamm is the partially artificial causeway and bridge at the most narrow area of Lake Zurich, between Hurden (SZ) and Rapperswil (SG). The Seedamm carries a road and a railway across the lake, with the railway being used by the ...
(causeway) and the
Wädenswil–Einsiedeln railway
The Wädenswil–Einsiedeln railway is a largely single-track standard-gauge line in Switzerland. It was built by the ''Wädenswil-Einsiedeln-Bahn'' and is now owned by the Südostbahn, Schweizerischen Südostbahn (SOB). The line between and is ...
, were built by two predecessor companies, the
Wädenswil-Einsiedeln-Bahn and the
Zürichsee–Gotthardbahn (Lake Zürich-Gotthard Railway). The Pfäffikon–Arth-Goldau railway used the line between Samstagern and Biberbrugg that had been built as part of the Wädenswil–Einsiedeln railway. The line, including a 34.58 kilometre-long section of the
Bodensee–Toggenburg railway
The Bodensee–Toggenburg railway is a mainly single-track standard-gauge line connecting on Lake Constance (''Bodensee'' in German) and the Toggenburg region in Eastern Switzerland. It was built by the Bodensee-Toggenburg-Bahn (BT), a former rai ...
(''Bodensee-Toggenburg-Bahn'') that became part of the new
Südostbahn
The Südostbahn (German, literally meaning "South-Eastern Railway") – commonly abbreviated to SOB – is a Swiss adhesion railway company, and a network in Central and Eastern Switzerland. It resulted from the merger of the original SOB wit ...
as the result of a merger in 2001, has been electrified since 15 May 1939 at
15 kV AC 162/3 Hz.
History
The line was built to give access to the
Gotthard Railway
The Gotthard railway (german: Gotthardbahn; it, Ferrovia del Gottardo) is the Swiss trans-alpine railway line from northern Switzerland to the canton of Ticino. The line forms a major part of an important international railway link between no ...
. Due to the local conditions, the Wädenswil–Einsiedeln section was built with a grade of up to 5.0%. The line was taken into operations on 29 July 1891 and officially opened on 31 July. However, official approval for regular operations did not arrive until 4 August. This discrepancy can be explained by the fact that between 31 July and 3 August 1891
Schwyz
The town of Schwyz (; french: Schwytz; it, Svitto) is the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland.
The Federal Charter of 1291 or ''Bundesbrief'', the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the '' ...
was celebrating the 600 anniversary of the
foundation of the Swiss Confederation and therefore already had special trains for this celebration. The first scheduled train ran on 8 August 1891.
The first authorisation was still subject to conditions and operations were therefore limited. The final approval was only granted after the official bridge tests in 1892 as further work had to be carried out on some bridges.
Finance for electrification was not secured for a long time, but it was eventually approved at the General Meeting on 6 July 1938. Work began immediately on building the overhead line and the transmission lines. It was scheduled to be completed before the Swiss National Exhibition of 1939 in Zürich (''Landi 39''). The electricity would be supplied at cost price from the Etzel works of the SBB. The electrification succeeded and the lines were electrified within 10 months. A small celebration took place on 13 May. Electrical operations should have been started on the entire network of the Südostbahn at the timetable change on 15 May 1939. However, the railway did not have its own electric
rolling stock
The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can b ...
at this time. The eight railcars (CFZe 4/4 and BCFZe 4/4) ordered in 1938 had not yet been delivered.
Biberegg station was opened as a halt for winter sports in 1935 and it was converted into a normal halt in 1979. Riedmatt station was opened in 1974. Freienbach station was upgraded to a crossing station in 1988. Due to the increase in traffic, the line between Samstagern and Schindellegi-Feusisberg was duplicated in 1992.
Deformations developed in the lower part of Lustenau tunnel (or Tunnel No. 2). These were caused by the slope pressures and the cutting of the valley side as a result of the relocation of a cantonal road on the ridge pierced by the tunnel. The deformations became so strong at the beginning of 1975 that intervention work became inevitable. The tunnel was converted into a
cutting
Cutting is the separation or opening of a physical object, into two or more portions, through the application of an acutely directed force.
Implements commonly used for wikt:cut, cutting are the knife and saw, or in medicine and science the scal ...
with a
retaining wall
Retaining walls are relatively rigid walls used for supporting soil laterally so that it can be retained at different levels on the two sides.
Retaining walls are structures designed to restrain soil to a slope that it would not naturally keep to ...
in May 1975. Replacement bus services lasted 12 days.
Since 15 October 1977, the Pfäffikon–Arth-Goldau line has been equipped at least to the former SBB profile I, that is a
rail
Rail or rails may refer to:
Rail transport
*Rail transport and related matters
*Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway
Arts and media Film
* ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini
* ''Rail'' ( ...
weight of . The restrictions on
axle load
An axle or axletree is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to the vehicle, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearing ...
and
linear load
Linearity is the property of a mathematical relationship (''function'') that can be graphically represented as a straight line. Linearity is closely related to '' proportionality''. Examples in physics include rectilinear motion, the linear r ...
on bridges could then be lifted. Since 2018, all rolling stock up to and including class D4 ( axle load, linear load) have been allowed on the line.
[According to the map of FDV AB, section 5.1 chapter 4.2.4, as of 1 July 2017 ()]
References
Footnotes
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pfäffikon-Arth-Goldau railway
Railway lines in Switzerland
Railway lines opened in 1891
1891 establishments in Switzerland