The Zentralbahn is a
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 ...
railway company that owns and operates two connecting railway lines in
Central Switzerland
Central Switzerland is the region of the Alpine Foothills geographically the heart and historically the origin of Switzerland, with the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Lucerne and Zug.
Central Switzerland is one of the NUTS 2 Statist ...
and the
Bernese Oberland
The Bernese Oberland ( en, Bernese Highlands, german: Berner Oberland; gsw, Bärner Oberland; french: Oberland bernois), the highest and southernmost part of the canton of Bern, is one of the canton's five administrative regions (in which context ...
. It was created on January 1, 2005, with the acquisition of the independently owned
Luzern–Stans–Engelberg line, and the
Brünig line of the
Swiss Federal Railways
Swiss Federal Railways (german: link=no, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen, ''SBB''; french: link=no, Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses, ''CFF''; it, Ferrovie federali svizzere, ''FFS'') is the national railway company of Switzerland. It is usuall ...
. The company has its headquarters in
Stansstad
Stansstad is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Nidwalden in Switzerland.
Geography
Stansstad has an area, (as of the 2004/09 survey) of . Of this area, about 32.6% is used for agricultural p ...
.
The railway owns the infrastructure of the long inter-regional
Brünig line, which links
Lucerne
Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking po ...
and
Interlaken
, neighboring_municipalities= Bönigen, Därligen, Matten bei Interlaken, Ringgenberg, Unterseen
, twintowns = Scottsdale (USA), Ōtsu (Japan), Třeboň (Czech Republic)
Interlaken (; lit.: ''between lakes'') is a Swiss town and mun ...
over the
Brünig Pass
The Brünig Pass, at an altitude of , connects the Bernese Oberland and central Switzerland, linking Meiringen in the canton of Bern and Lungern in the canton of Obwalden. It is on the watershed between the upper reaches of the Aare, which flows ...
, and the long
Luzern–Stans–Engelberg line from
Hergiswil
Hergiswil is a municipality in the canton of Nidwalden in Switzerland.
History
Hergiswil is first mentioned around 1303-09 as ''ze Hergenswile''.
Geography
Hergiswil has an area, , of . Of this area, 29.3% is used for agricultural purposes, ...
, on the Brünig line some out of Lucerne, to
Engelberg
, neighboring_municipalities = Attinghausen (UR), Gadmen (BE), Innertkirchen (BE), Isenthal (UR), Wassen (UR), Wolfenschiessen (NW)
, twintowns=
Engelberg (lit.: ''mountain of angel(s)'') is a village resort and a municipality in the canton ...
. Both lines are built to the , and use
rack railway
A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with ...
technology to climb their steepest gradients, although most of both lines uses conventional adhesion.
The railway operates two hourly
InterRegio express services, one between Lucerne and Interlaken, and one between Lucerne and Engelberg. It also operates two half-hourly services of the
Lucerne S-Bahn
The Lucerne S-Bahn (german: S-Bahn Luzern) is an S-Bahn-style commuter rail network focusing on Lucerne, Switzerland.
Opened on 12 December 2004, the network forms part of the Central Switzerland S-Bahn project (german: S-Bahn Zentralschweiz, link ...
, the
S4 between Lucerne and
Wolfenschiessen
Wolfenschiessen is a village and municipality in the canton of Nidwalden in Switzerland. Besides the village of Wolfenschiessen itself, the municipality includes the settlements of Altzellen, Büren ob dem Bach, Dörfli, and Oberrickenbach, toge ...
and the
S5 between Lucerne and
Giswil
Giswil is a municipality in the canton of Obwalden in Switzerland.
History
Giswil is first mentioned in the 11th century, as ''Kisevilare''.
Geography
The municipality is located on the southern end of Lake Sarnen. It consists of the villag ...
. During the rush hour, there are additional trains named S41, S44 and S55. At the Interlaken end of the line, an hourly
Regio service is operated as far as
Meiringen
Meiringen () is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. Besides the village of Meiringen, the municipality includes the settlements of Balm, Brünigen, Eisenbolgen, Hausen, Prasti, ...
. Only the two InterRegio services traverse the company's rack sections and require rack equipped stock.
History
The two lines of the Zentralbahn have quite distinct histories.
History of the Brünig line
The Brünig line was constructed in incremental stages between 1888 and 1916. The first stages, over the
Brünig Pass
The Brünig Pass, at an altitude of , connects the Bernese Oberland and central Switzerland, linking Meiringen in the canton of Bern and Lungern in the canton of Obwalden. It is on the watershed between the upper reaches of the Aare, which flows ...
between
Brienz
Brienz ( , , ) is a village and municipality on the northern shore of Lake Brienz, at the foot of the Brienzer Rothorn mountain, and in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. Besides the village of Brienz, the municipality includes the sett ...
and
Alpnachstad
Alpnach is a village in the canton of Obwalden in Switzerland. It comprises the villages of Alpnach Dorf, Alpnachstad and Schoried.
History
Alpnach is first mentioned about 870 as ''Alpenacho''.
Geography
Alpnach has an area, , of . Of this ...
were opened by the
Jura–Bern–Lucerne Railway
The Bernese Jura Railway (''Chemins de fer du Jura bernois'', abbreviated ''Jura bernois'', JB) was a railway company in Switzerland. The company was called the Jura–Bern–Luzern (''Jura–Bern–Lucerne'', JBL) from 1 July 1884. The Jura–Ber ...
(JBL), who also extended the line from Alpnachstad to
Lucerne
Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking po ...
, giving connections to the rest of the
Swiss railway network. Subsequently the JBL became part of the
Jura–Simplon Railway (JS) in 1891, and the JS became part of the
Swiss Federal Railways
Swiss Federal Railways (german: link=no, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen, ''SBB''; french: link=no, Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses, ''CFF''; it, Ferrovie federali svizzere, ''FFS'') is the national railway company of Switzerland. It is usuall ...
(SBB) in 1903. The SBB opened the last section of the line, from Brienz to
Interlaken
, neighboring_municipalities= Bönigen, Därligen, Matten bei Interlaken, Ringgenberg, Unterseen
, twintowns = Scottsdale (USA), Ōtsu (Japan), Třeboň (Czech Republic)
Interlaken (; lit.: ''between lakes'') is a Swiss town and mun ...
in 1916.
As constructed, the line was operated by steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
s, and used the Riggenbach rack system
A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with ...
to overcome gradients of up to 12% on the approaches to each side of the Brünig Pass. The line was electrified in 1941 and 1942, using the standard Swiss main line system of supplied by overhead line
An overhead line or overhead wire is an electrical cable that is used to transmit electrical energy to electric locomotives, trolleybuses or trams. It is known variously as:
* Overhead catenary
* Overhead contact system (OCS)
* Overhead equipmen ...
. The rack sections were retained.
History of the Luzern–Stans–Engelberg line
The major part of the line to Engelberg was constructed by Stansstad–Engelberg Railway (StEB) and opened in 1898. The line ran from Stansstad
Stansstad is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Nidwalden in Switzerland.
Geography
Stansstad has an area, (as of the 2004/09 survey) of . Of this area, about 32.6% is used for agricultural p ...
to Engelberg
, neighboring_municipalities = Attinghausen (UR), Gadmen (BE), Innertkirchen (BE), Isenthal (UR), Wassen (UR), Wolfenschiessen (NW)
, twintowns=
Engelberg (lit.: ''mountain of angel(s)'') is a village resort and a municipality in the canton ...
and, like the Brünig line in its early days, relied on steamship
A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...
connections with the rest of the Swiss railway network. Unlike the Brünig line, the StEB line was electrified from its opening, using a three-phase
Three-phase electric power (abbreviated 3φ) is a common type of alternating current used in electricity generation, Electric power transmission, transmission, and Electric power distribution, distribution. It is a type of polyphase system empl ...
alternating current
Alternating current (AC) is an electric current which periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time in contrast to direct current (DC) which flows only in one direction. Alternating current is the form in whic ...
overhead line supply. It also used the Riggenbach rack system
A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with ...
on its final approaches to Engelberg, but with a very steep maximum gradient of 25%.
In 1960 work started on connecting the Engelberg line to the Swiss railway network by constructing a new line between Stansstad and Hergiswil
Hergiswil is a municipality in the canton of Nidwalden in Switzerland.
History
Hergiswil is first mentioned around 1303-09 as ''ze Hergenswile''.
Geography
Hergiswil has an area, , of . Of this area, 29.3% is used for agricultural purposes, ...
on the Brünig line. This involved constructing a bridge over the narrow ''Alpnachersee'' arm of Lake Lucerne
__NOTOC__
Lake Lucerne (german: Vierwaldstättersee, literally "Lake of the four forested settlements" (in English usually translated as ''forest cantons''), french: lac des Quatre-Cantons, it, lago dei Quattro Cantoni) is a lake in central ...
, followed by the Lopper II tunnel
The Lopper II Rail Tunnel is a railway tunnel in the canton of Nidwalden in central Switzerland. It forms part of the Zentralbahn Luzern–Stans–Engelberg line, which links Lucerne with Engelberg, between Hergiswil station and Stansstad sta ...
, under a shoulder of Mount Pilatus
Pilatus, also often referred to as Mount Pilatus, is a mountain massif overlooking Lucerne in Central Switzerland. It is composed of several peaks, of which the highest () is named ''Tomlishorn''.
Geography and transport
The whole mountain ...
. In order to allow Engelberg trains to run over the Brünig line into Lucerne, the whole railway was converted to the same electrical system (), and new rolling stock acquired. The line reopened in 1964, and the owning company changed its name to the Luzern–Stans–Engelberg Railway (LSE).[ For 40 years, the ownership structure of the two lines remained unchanged, with LSE owned trains running over SBB owned tracks between Hergiswil and Lucerne. However, in June 2004, the ]Swiss Federal Council
The Federal Council (german: Bundesrat; french: Conseil fédéral; it, Consiglio federale; rm, Cussegl federal) is the executive body of the federal government of the Swiss Confederation and serves as the collective head of state and governme ...
empowered the SBB to transfer the Brünig line to the LSE with effect from January 2005. In return the LSE issued shares
In financial markets, a share is a unit of equity ownership in the capital stock of a corporation, and can refer to units of mutual funds, limited partnerships, and real estate investment trusts. Share capital refers to all of the shares of an ...
to the SBB, and as a result 2/3 of its shares are now owned by SBB. The LSE was subsequently renamed the Zentralbahn to reflect its much larger scale of operation.
At the end of 2009, the Zentralbahn took over the operation of the (standard gauge
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
) tracks of the Kriens-Luzern-Bahn between Lucerne and Horw
Horw (; Swiss German: ''Horb'') is a municipality in the district of Lucerne in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland.
History
Horw is first mentioned in 1231 as ''Horwe''.
Geography
Horw has an area of . Of this area, 32.6% is used for agri ...
. Most of these tracks were already laid in a dual gauge
In railway engineering, "gauge" is the transverse distance between the inner surfaces of the heads of two rails, which for the vast majority of railway lines is the number of rails in place. However, it is sometimes necessary for track to c ...
configuration with the metre gauge tracks of the Brünig line.
Since the merger several major projects have been undertaken. In 2010, the Grafenort to Engelberg tunnel was constructed to replace the very steep final approach to Engelberg. Whilst still rack operated, the tunnel has a maximum gradient of 10.5% as opposed to 25%.
In late 2012, a new tunnel route was opened between Kriens Mattenhof station and the approaches to Lucerne station, on the stretch of the Brünig line also used by Engelberg trains. The tunnel replaces a less direct surface alignment, allowing the abolition of several congested level crossing
A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, overpass ...
s and the provision of double track. A new station, Lucerne Allmend/Messe, built within the tunnel, serves the Swissporarena
Swissporarena is a multi-use stadium in Lucerne, Switzerland, completed in 2011. It is used mostly for football matches and hosts the home matches of FC Luzern of the Swiss Super League. The stadium has a capacity of 16,800 spectators, including ...
.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Railway companies of Switzerland
Railway companies established in 2005
Swiss companies established in 2005