Niesenbahn funicular (original) (raw)

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Funicular railway in the canton of Bern

Niesenbahn
Overview
Status in operation
Owner Niesenbahn AG (since 2011); Niesen-Bahn-Gesellschaft (‥–2011, name change)
Locale Canton of BernSwitzerland
Termini "Mülenen (Niesenbahn)""Niesen Kulm"
Stations 3 (including "Schwandegg")
Website niesen.ch
Service
Type funicular with 2 sections
Route number 2405[1]
Operator(s) Niesenbahn AG
Rolling stock 4 (2 per section, for 60 passengers each)
History
Opened 15 July 1910(114 years ago) (1910-07-15)
Technical
Line length 3.5 km (2.2 mi)
Number of tracks 1 (each section with a passing loop)
Track gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
Electrification from opening
Highest elevation 2,336 m (7,664 ft)
Maximum incline 68%

The funicular above Mülenen station

The Niesenbahn is a funicular railway above Lake Thun in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. It links a lower terminus, in the village of Mülenen at 693 m and adjacent to Mülenen station on the Lötschberg railway line, with an upper terminus at 2336 m near the summit of Niesen, a viewpoint above the lake and Bernese Oberland. The funicular is divided into two portions with a total length of 3.5 kilometers, an elevation difference of 1643 meters, and a maximum slope of 68%.

Construction of the line commenced in 1906, and it opened in 1910.[2]

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 1,669 m (5,476 ft).[3] The stairs are usually employee-only, but there is a public run called "Niesenlauf" once a year.[4]

The line is owned and operated by the Niesenbahn AG.[5][6][7]

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.[8]

The line comprises two sections, with an interchange station at Schwandegg, and has the following parameters:[5][6][7]

Share of the Niesen-Bahn-Gesellschaft, issued 1. October 1907 [9]

  1. ^ "2405: Niesen Kulm - Mülenen" (PDF), Fahrplanfelder.ch, Tableaux-horaires.ch (in German), 2022, 2405
  2. ^ "Infos Niesen Funicular". Niesenbahn AG. Archived from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  3. ^ "Science and Technology/Structures/Long Stairway". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 19 November 2005. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  4. ^ "Niesen-Treppenlauf". Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  5. ^ a b "NB Neisenbahn". Funimag. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  6. ^ a b "61.034 Mülenen - Schwandegg, Mülenen funicular". Schweizer Seilbahninventar = Inventaire suisse des installations à câbles = Inventario svizzero degli impianti a fune [_Swiss Inventory of Cableways_] (in German). Federal Office of Culture. 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  7. ^ a b "61.035 Schwandegg - Niesen Kulm, Mülenen funicular". Schweizer Seilbahninventar = Inventaire suisse des installations à câbles = Inventario svizzero degli impianti a fune [_Swiss Inventory of Cableways_] (in German). Federal Office of Culture. 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  8. ^ "Timetable Niesen Funicular". Niesenbahn AG. Archived from the original on 28 May 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  9. ^ Suppes, Bernd (1994). Suppes 94/95 Historische Wertpapiere (ISSN 0936-9406). Wiesbaden-Bieberich: WWA Bernd Suppes. p. 467.

46°38′22″N 7°41′25″E / 46.639356°N 7.69021°E / 46.639356; 7.69021