Urban Transport

World's steepest funicular railway starts chugging up Swiss mountainside

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The Stoosbahn funicular railway connects the Swiss mountain village of Stoos to the valley below
Standseilbahnen
The steepest funicular railway in the world entered service in Switzerland over the weekend
Standseilbahnen
Each of the Stoosbahn's two carriages can carry 136 passengers and is made up of four circular pods
Standseilbahnen
The Stoosbahn funicular railway connects the Swiss mountain village of Stoos to the valley below
Standseilbahnen
Each of the Stoosbahn's two carriages can carry 136 passengers and is made up of four circular pods
Standseilbahnen
The Stoosbahn funicular railway carries passengers up a 47.73-degree incline 
Standseilbahnen
Connecting the mountain village of Stoos to the valley below, the Stoosbahn funicular railway is the steepest of its kind
Standseilbahnen
Connecting the mountain village of Stoos to the valley below, the Stoosbahn funicular railway is the steepest of its kind
Standseilbahnen
The Stoosbahn funicular railway in Switzerland, which starts at an altitude of 562 m and ends at 1,306 m, includes traveling through three tunnels and across more than 500 m (1,640 ft) of bridge
Standseilbahnen
The steepest funicular railway in the world entered service in Switzerland over the weekend
Standseilbahnen
The Stoosbahn funicular railway connects the Swiss mountain village of Stoos to the valley below
Standseilbahnen
Each of the Stoosbahn's two carriages can carry 136 passengers and is made up of four circular pods
Standseilbahnen
The Stoosbahn funicular railway connects the Swiss mountain village of Stoos to the valley below
Standseilbahnen
The Stoosbahn funicular railway is the steepest of its kind in the world
Standseilbahnen
The Stoosbahn funicular railway connects the Swiss mountain village of Stoos to the valley below
Standseilbahnen
Connecting the mountain village of Stoos to the valley below, the Stoosbahn funicular railway is the steepest of its kind
Standseilbahnen
The Stoosbahn funicular railway carries passengers up a 47.73-degree incline 
Standseilbahnen
The steepest funicular railway in the world entered service over the weekend
Standseilbahnen
Switzerland's Stoosbahn funicular railway under construction
Standseilbahnen
The Stoosbahn funicular railway connects the Swiss mountain village of Stoos to the valley below
Standseilbahnen
The Stoosbahn funicular railway is the steepest of its kind in the world
Standseilbahnen
The Stoosbahn funicular railway connects the Swiss mountain village of Stoos to the valley below
Standseilbahnen
The Stoosbahn funicular railway is the steepest of its kind in the world
Standseilbahnen
The Stoosbahn funicular railway connects the Swiss mountain village of Stoos to the valley below
Standseilbahnen
The Stoosbahn funicular railway carries passengers up a 47.73-degree incline 
Standseilbahnen
Each of the Stoosbahn's two carriages can carry 136 passengers and is made up of four circular pods
Standseilbahnen
The steepest funicular railway in the world entered service in Switzerland over the weekend
Standseilbahnen
The steepest funicular railway in the world entered service in Switzerland over the weekend
Standseilbahnen
The Stoosbahn funicular railway carries passengers up a 47.73-degree incline 
Standseilbahnen
View gallery - 28 images

Funicular railways are cable-based train lines that shuttle carriages up steep inclines, and they don't come any steeper than the Stoosbahn that has just opened in Switzerland. Connecting the mountain village of Stoos to the valley below, it is the steepest railway of its kind and the train that travels on it features self-tilting mechanisms to keep passengers upright as they travel up the hill.

The steepest funicular railway in the world entered service over the weekend, using 1,740 meters (1 mi) of track to carry passengers up a 47.73-degree incline. Steeper passenger railways do exist, such as the Scenic Railway in Australia's Blue Mountains with 52-degree incline, but as far as funicular railways go – where a pair of trams use a cable to travel up and down and counter-balance each other as they go – the Stoosbahn is as steep as they come.

Each of the Stoosbahn's two carriages can carry 136 passengers and is made up of four circular pods
Standseilbahnen

Each of those two cars can carry 136 passengers and is made up of four circular pods. When parked at either station, these pods sit horizontal, but thanks to an automatic leveling system they self-adjust to keep the passengers level as they head up the hill across a total altitude difference of 744 m (2,500 ft).

The cars travel at a maximum speed of 10 meters per second (22 mph) and take four minutes to ferry passengers up the hill. That trip, which starts at an altitude of 562 m and ends at 1,306 m, includes traveling through three tunnels and across more than 500 m (1,640 ft) of bridge.

You can take a ride up the Stoosbahn in the video below.

Source: Standseilbahnen

View gallery - 28 images
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6 comments
aki009
That thing goes on forever. I sure wish I never have to walk down all those steps in skiboots when the system has a failure.
SteveO
The author should research the Incline Railway in Chattanooga, TN. That one is also a funicular railway and has a maximum grade of 72.7%. I rode up it a few months ago and it is uncomfortably steep. This thing seems almost flat in comparison.
dougspair
..Although nothing like this...there's one in downtown Los Angeles, calif,,,,soothing like 45 degrees, and about 180 feet long...only two small open cars...seat 6-8 people, I think it's 80-90 years or more old... Angels Flight....
dougspair
...In Los Angeles, Calif...Angels Flight, 117 years old, 295 feet high....open every day....soothing like 45 degrees, open seat carts...
Eddy
The text says the trip takes 4 mins. but the video of the actual trip runs for just under 7. I cannot see any advantage of running it too quick, better to enjoy the trip.
MRMRH
SteveO - the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway in Chattanooga is 72.7% grade; that is not the same as 72.7 degrees. A 45 degrees slope is 100% grade. 72.7% grade is 36 degrees. The Stoosbahn funicular described above is 52 degrees which is considerably steeper.