The Gurten Funicular (german: Gurtenbahn) 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 e ...
in the southern suburbs of 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 Internati ...
capital city of
Bern. The line links
Wabern, in the municipality of
Köniz
Köniz (, ) is a statistical town, however considers itself still as a village, and a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district right on the southern border to Bern in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. The municipality of Köni ...
, with the summit of the
Gurten mountain (858 m), which overlooks the city of Bern.
Wabern can be reached from the city centre by tram, train or car.
Wabern bei Bern station, on lines S3 and S31 of the
Bern S-Bahn
The Bern S-Bahn (german: S-Bahn Bern; french: RER Berne) is an S-Bahn commuter rail network focused on Bern, the capital city of Switzerland. The network is roughly coterminous with Bern's urban agglomeration.
With approximately 9 million trai ...
, is adjacent to the lower station of the Gurtenbahn, as is the Gurtenbahn stop on
Bern tramway route 9.
[
The line is owned and operated by the company ''Gurtenbahn Bern AG''.]
History
The first concession for a line up the Gurten was granted in 1885 but never realized. A second concession was granted in 1893 and the line opened in 1899. In 1931 and 1932 the cars were overhauled and a new drive installed. In 1944 new cars were supplied and the lower station redesigned, with the upper station following in 1949. In 1966 the plant was renewed again.
In 1999, the line was completely rebuilt. All the stations were renovated, the drive was replaced, and new panorama carriages were put into operation.[
In 2015, the line carried over one million passengers, the largest annual ridership up until that year. In the same year, the line made a profit of around 250,000 Swiss francs.
]
Operation
The line is operated by the Gurtenbahn company. It has the following parameters:
See also
* List of funicular railways
This is a list of funicular railways, organised by place within country and continent. The funiculars range from short urban lines to significant multi-section mountain railways.
A funicular railway is distinguished from the similar incline elev ...
* List of funiculars in Switzerland
Further reading
*
*
References
External links
*
Official web site of the Gurtenbahn
(in German)
Video of ride on funicular from the Gurten to Wabern
{{Authority control
Funicular railways in Switzerland
Transport in Bern
Köniz
Railway lines opened in 1899
Metre gauge railways in Switzerland
1899 establishments in Switzerland