Mühleggbahn is a funicular in the city of St. Gallen, Switzerland. It leads from a lower station south of the old town, near the abbey, at 676 m, to Mühlegg at 747 m in St. Georgen.[3][note 1] The 323 m-long[3] line functions as an inclined elevator with a single car, 287 m in a tunnel. Journey time is ca. 90 seconds.[6]

Mühleggbahn
Car at upper station
Overview
Other name(s)Standseilbahn St. Gallen-Mühlegg; Drahtseilbahn St. Gallen-Mühleck
StatusIn operation
OwnerMühleggbahn AG
LocaleSt. Gallen, Switzerland
Termini
  • "St. Gallen, Mühlegg Talstation" at Mühlenstrasse
  • "St. Gallen, Mühlegg" at St. Georgen-Strasse 43
Stations2
Websitemuehleggbahn.ch
Service
TypeFunicular (inclined elevator since 1975)
Route number2710 [1] (earlier: 1710, 115c [2])
Operator(s)Verkehrsbetriebe St. Gallen (since 1953)
Rolling stock1 for 38 passengers[3] (since 2018); 1 for 30 (2004-2018); 1 (1975-2004); 1 for 60 [4](1950-1975); 2 (1893-1949)
History
Opened14 December 1893
(130 years ago)
 (1893-12-14)
Concession1889
Rack-railway1950-1975
Enhancements2004, 2018
Technical
Number of tracks1 (with passing loop before 1949)
Track gauge1,200 mm (3 ft 11+14 in)
Electrification1975 as funicular, 1949 as rack railway (1893-1949: water counterbalancing)
Highest elevation747 m (2,451 ft)
Maximum incline22.8%

The funicular is owned by "Mühleggbahn AG" and operated by Verkehrsbetriebe St. Gallen.[7]

History

edit

When opened in 1893, the line worked as a water counterbalancing funicular with two cars and a passing loop. Water was drawn from Mühleggweiher at its upper station.[7]

The system was replaced in 1950 with a rack railway[4] that operated until 1975.[7][8][9]

On 7 May 1975 (1975-05-07), it was reopened as a funicular.[8] The car was replaced in 2004[7] and 2018, tracks in 2018.

Description

edit

The Mühleggbahn is a funicular with one car which connects the two stations in a fully automatic trip every five minutes. If the car is not at the station, it can be requested with a button. Most of the 316 meter long route goes through a tunnel with a gradient of 208 to 228 per mile. The elevator pulls the car at a maximum speed of 4.8 meters per second with a maximum of 38 passengers. The travel time is approximately 90 seconds.

Notes

edit
  1. ^ [5] notes 673 m and 742 m (1999)

Further reading

edit
  • Stadelmann, Werner (1993), 100 Jahre Mühleggbahn St. Gallen 1893-1993 (in German), St. Gallen: Ostschweiz Druck + Verlag AG

References

edit
  1. ^ "2710: Mühleggbahn St. Gallen" (PDF), Fahrplanfelder.ch, Tableaux-horaires.ch (in German), 2022, 2710
  2. ^ "115c St. Gallen-Mühlegg", Amtliches Kursbuch (Postausgabe), 29.IX.1963—30.V.1964 (in German), 1963
  3. ^ a b c Technische Daten (in German), Mühleggbahn AG
  4. ^ a b Gf. (1951), "Umstellung der Drahtseilbahn St. Gallen-Mühleck auf elektrischen Zahnradbetrieb", Die Schweiz: Offizielle Reisezeitschrift der Schweiz. Verkehrszentrale (4): III–IV
  5. ^ Federal Office for Spatial Development ARE; Federal Office of Transport BAV; Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications UVEK, eds. (January 2001), Touristische Transportanlagen der Schweiz, TTA–Statistik, 6. Auflage 1999; Installations de transport touristiques en Suisse, Statistique ITT, 6e édition 1999 (in German and French) (6 ed.), Bern, p. 90, 812.001 d/f 1.01 800, 61.053 Mühleggbahn (St. Gallen){{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ^ Betriebszeiten, Fahrpreise (in German), Mühleggbahn AG
  7. ^ a b c d Ueber uns (in German), Mühleggbahn AG
  8. ^ a b "100 Jahre Mühleggbahn : 1893-1993", Region St.Gallen: Das St. Galler Jahrbuch: 73–79, 1994
  9. ^ St.Gallen, Mühleggbahn AG. "Geschichte". Mühleggbahn AG St.Gallen (in German). Retrieved 13 September 2024.