Niesen Funicular

Niesenbahn
Niesenbahn
Overview
Owner	Niesenbahn AG
Locale	Canton of Bern; Switzerland
Termini	Mülenen; Niesen Kulm
Stations	3
Service
Type	Funicular
Operator(s)	Niesenbahn AG
History
Opened	1910
Technical
Line length	3.5 km (2.2 mi)
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
Highest elevation	2,336 m (7,664 ft)
Maximum incline	68%

The funicular above Mülenen station

The Niesen Funicular is a funicular railway in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. It links a lower terminus, in the village of Mülenen and adjacent to Mülenen station on the Lötschberg railway line, with an upper terminus at the summit of the Niesen. The line is owned and operated by the Niesenbahn AG.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Construction of the line commenced in 1906, and it opened in 1910.^[4]

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).^[5] The stairs are usually employee-only, but there is a public run called "Niesenlauf" once a year.

Operation[]

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.^[6]

The line comprises two sections, with an interchange station at Schwandegg, and has the following parameters:^[1]^[2]^[3]

	Lower section	Upper section
Number of cars	2	2
Number of stops	2	2
Configuration	Single track with passing loop	Single track with passing loop
Track length	2,112 m (6,929 ft)	1,388 m (4,554 ft)
Rise	975 m (3,199 ft)	667 m (2,188 ft)
Maximum gradient	66%	68%
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge
Speed	2.9 m/s (9.5 ft/s)	2.0 m/s (6.6 ft/s)
Journey time	13 mins	12.5 mins
Capacity	60 passengers per car; 120 persons in each direction per hour	60 passengers per car; 120 persons in each direction per hour

Share of the Niesen-Bahn-Gesellschaft, issued 1. October 1907 ^[7]

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "NB Neisenbahn". Funimag. Retrieved 2013-05-24.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "61,034 Mülenen - Schwandegg, Mülenen funicular". Swiss Inventory of Ropeways (in German). Swiss Confederation. Retrieved 2013-05-24.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "61,035 Schwandegg - Niesen Kulm, Mülenen funicular". Swiss Inventory of Ropeways (in German). Swiss Confederation. Retrieved 2013-05-24.
^ "Infos Niesen Funicular". Niesenbahn AG. Archived from the original on 2011-08-14. Retrieved 2013-05-24.
^ "Science and Technology/Structures/Long Stairway". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 2005-11-19. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
^ "Timetable Niesen Funicular". Niesenbahn AG. Archived from the original on 2013-05-28. Retrieved 2013-05-24.
^ Suppes, Bernd (1994). Suppes 94/95 Historische Wertpapiere (ISSN 0936-9406). Wiesbaden-Bieberich: WWA Bernd Suppes. p. 467.