The ''Zürichsee-Fähre Horgen–Meilen'', or Horgen–Meilen car ferry, 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 ...

car ferry that operates across Lake Zurich between the lakeside towns of Horgen and

Meilen Meilen is a municipality in the district of Meilen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. History Archaeological finds in Meilen date back more than 4,000 years. In January 1854 the level of lake Zürich was particularly low and the locals ...

. The ferry route is situated south of the city of Zurich, and the ferry avoids a round trip by road of some by road via that city.

History

The company was founded in 1932, with operation commencing in November 1933. Initially the service was run with the single ferry ''Schwan'', built for the opening, and providing a half-hourly service. Service was suspended between 1942 and 1946, as a consequence of Second World War. From 1946, the ferry was reintroduced with an hourly service. Over time, demand rose so that a continuous shuttle operation had to be introduced. In 1968 a replacement vessel, also known as ''Schwan'', was launched and took over the service, providing a half-hourly service. The propeller of the 1933-built ''Schwan'' is displayed at the Horgen ferry terminal. In 1973 a new approach to the Horgen ferry terminal was constructed, with a bridge over the lakeside railway line, allowing the previously used level crossing to be closed. Over the following years, four further ferries were constructed, allowing a more frequent service to be provided. These were the ''Meilen'' (1979), the ''Horgan'' (1991), the ''Zürisee'' (1999) and the ''Burg'' (2003). Also in 1999, the second ''Schwan'' was rebuilt. In 2017 a further new ferry was built, named ''Meilen'', in order to replace the 1979-built vessel of the same name. The earlier vessel was dismantled the following year, although its wheelhouse and

Voith Schneider propeller The Voith Schneider Propeller (VSP) is a specialized marine propulsion system (MPS) manufactured by the Voith Group based on a cyclorotor design. It is highly maneuverable, being able to change the direction of its thrust almost instantaneously ...

were retained to form part of an exhibition on ferries at the Swiss Museum of Transport in

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 ...

Operation

On the Horgen side of the lake, the ferries operate from a ferry terminal with its own road-bridge across the lakeside railway line, and some on foot along the lakeside promenade from

Horgen railway station Horgen railway station is a railway station in Switzerland, situated on the banks of Lake Zürich in the town of Horgen. The station is located on the Lake Zürich left bank railway line and is served by lines S2 and S8 of the Zürich S-Bahn ...

. On the Meilen side of the lake, the ferries operate from a ferry terminal on ''Seestrasse'', a similar distance from

Meilen railway station Meilen is a railway station in the Swiss canton of Zürich, situated in the municipality of Meilen. The station is located on the Lake Zürich right bank railway line. History The station was opened in 1893, at the same time as the Lake Zür ...

. Ferries operate from early morning to late evening. Ferries operate every 10 minutes throughout the day, with frequencies increasing to every 6 or 7 minutes in peak periods. The crossing time is 10 minutes. In 2011, 69,950 ferry crossings were operated, carrying in total 2,192,175 people, 1,226,540 cars, and 99,470 trucks. By 2019 these figures had changed slightly, with 68,646 crossings, 2,033,215 people carried, and 1,336,330 vehicles carried.

Fleet

Current fleet

The ferry service is operated with a fleet of five motor ferries:

Former fleet

The ferry service has previously operated two other ferries:

References

External links

Official web site of the Horgen–Meilen ferry
(in German)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zurichsee-Fahre Horgen-Meilen Transport in the canton of Zürich Ferry transport in Switzerland Shipping companies of Switzerland Lake Zurich Horgen Meilen Transport companies established in 1932 1932 establishments in Switzerland