The Stoosbahn, also known as the Schwyz–Stoos funicular or ''Standseilbahn Schwyz–Stoos'', 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
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
*Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
*Swiss, North Carolina
* Swiss, West Virginia
*Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
* Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
* Swiss Internation ...
canton of
Schwyz. It connects the Hintere Schlattli in the municipalities of
Muotatal,
Morschach
Morschach is a municipality in Schwyz District in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. It was a world-famous resort from 1869 up to the Great Depression.
Geography
The municipality is located on a glacier moraine above the Lake of Lucerne. It con ...
, 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 , 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.
The new line has a maximum gradient of 110% (47.7°) and is the steepest funicular railway in Switzerland and Europe, superseding the
Gelmerbahn
The Gelmer Funicular is a cable railway in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. It links a lower terminus at Handegg, in the Haslital (the valley of the upper Aar River), with an upper terminus at the Gelmersee lake.
The Gelmerbahn was the steepes ...
. It has been widely claimed to be the steepest in the world,
[ and although the ]Katoomba Scenic Railway
Scenic World is a private, family-owned tourist attraction located in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia, about 100 kilometres west of Sydney. Scenic World is home to four attractions, the Scenic Railway, the Scen ...
in Australia is steeper, with a maximum gradient of 122%, it uses a winch systemincline lift
An inclined elevator or
inclined lift
is a form of cable railway that hauls rail cars up a steep gradient.
Introduction
An inclined elevator consists of one or two inclined tracks on a slope with a single car on each carrying payload. In t ...
and not a funicular railway.
References
External links
Official site
Funicular railways in Switzerland
Transport in the canton of Schwyz
1200 mm gauge railways in Switzerland
Railway lines opened in 2017
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