The Zimmerberg Tunnel is a 1,984-metre (6,509 ft)-long[note 1] railway tunnel under the Zimmerberg mountain in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland which opened in 1897.[3][4]

Zimmerberg Tunnel
image of Zimmerberg Tunnel portal
Tunnel portal (Sihlbrugg end)
Overview
Official nameGerman: Zimmerbergtunnel
Other name(s)German: Horgerbergtunnel[1]
LineThalwil–Arth-Goldau railway
LocationZürich, Switzerland
Coordinates47°15′01″N 8°35′07″E / 47.2503°N 8.5853°E / 47.2503; 8.5853
StatusActive
SystemSwiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS)
CrossesZimmerberg
StartHorgen Oberdorf
EndSihlbrugg
Operation
ConstructedSeptember 1894 – August 1896
OpenedJune 1, 1897 (1897-06-01)
OwnerSBB CFF FFS
OperatorSBB CFF FFS
TrafficTrain
CharacterPassenger and freight
Technical
Length1,984 metres (6,509 ft)[note 1]
No. of tracksSingle
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)
Electrified15 kV/16.7 Hz AC
Grade13‰[2]
Route map
Map

History

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Construction began in September 1894 from the Horgen portal.[1] Breakthrough was achieved on 15 March 1896, and construction finished in August 1896.[1] The tunnel was opened to traffic on 1 June 1897 along with the rest of the Thalwil–Zug railway line.[5][6][7] On 5 February 1923, electrification of the railway line, including the tunnel, was completed.[7]

Operations

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Together with the Albis Tunnel, the tunnel forms the railway passage through the Zimmerberg and Albis on the Thalwil–Arth-Goldau railway line which is an important feeder to the Gotthard railway.[5]

The segment leading through the two tunnels constitutes a single-track section on the Thalwil–Arth-Goldau railway.[3][7][8] The proposed phase II of the Zimmerberg Base Tunnel aims to resolve the bottleneck formed by the single-track sections and to allow for faster traffic on the Thalwil–Arth-Goldau railway.[9]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b The length given for this tunnel varies by source between 1,984 metres (6,509 ft) and 1,986 metres (6,516 ft). This article uses the length given by SBB CFF FFS.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Züblin (1898-07-16). "Mitteilungen über den Bau der Linien Schaffhausen-Eglisau und Thalweil-Zug". Schweizerische Bauzeitung (in German). Vol. 32, no. 3. pp. 22–24. doi:10.5169/seals-20781.
  2. ^ Schweers, Hans (2012). Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz (in German) (2nd ed.). Cologne: Schweers + Wall. pp. 12–13. ISBN 9783894941307.
  3. ^ a b c "Tunnels". data.sbb.ch. SBB Infrastruktur. 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
  4. ^ "Map viewer". map.geo.admin.ch. Coordinating Agency for Federal Geographic Information (GCG). Retrieved 2024-10-20.
  5. ^ a b Bruch, Hans (2022-10-10). "Bahnhof Oberdorf". Horgner Jahrheft 2022 - Das Oberdorf im Umbruch (PDF) (Report) (in German). Gemeinde Horgen in Verbindung mit Pro Horgen. pp. 16–25. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
  6. ^ "Die Eröffnung der Eisenbahn Thalweil-Zug". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). No. 3. 1897-06-01. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
  7. ^ a b c Wägli, Hans G.; Jacobi, Sébastien (2010). Schienennetz Schweiz / Réseau ferré suisse (in German and French) (3rd ed.). Zurich: AS-Verlag. pp. 23, 67, 177. ISBN 9783909111749.
  8. ^ Geschäftsbericht 1983 (Report) (in German). Schweizerische Bundesbahnen. 1984-05-28. p. 26. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
  9. ^ "Zimmerberg-Basistunnel 2" (in German). Schweizerische Bundesbahnen SBB. Retrieved 2024-10-20.