Niesenbahn funicular

Niesenbahn
Overview
Status	in operation
Owner	Niesenbahn AG (since 2011); Niesen-Bahn-Gesellschaft (‥–2011, name change)
Locale	Canton of Bern Switzerland
Termini	"Mülenen (Niesenbahn)" "Niesen Kulm"
Stations	3 (including "Schwandegg")
Website	niesen.ch
Service
Type	funicular with 2 sections
Route number	2405[1]
Operator(s)	Niesenbahn AG
Rolling stock	4 (2 per section, for 60 passengers each)
History
Opened	15 July 1910 (114 years ago) (1910-07-15)
Technical
Line length	3.5 km (2.2 mi)
Number of tracks	1 (each section with a passing loop)
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
Electrification	from opening
Highest elevation	2,336 m (7,664 ft)
Maximum incline	68%

The funicular above Mülenen station

The Niesenbahn is a funicular railway above Lake Thun in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. It links a lower terminus, in the village of Mülenen at 693 m and adjacent to Mülenen station on the Lötschberg railway line, with an upper terminus at 2336 m near the summit of Niesen, a viewpoint above the lake and Bernese Oberland. The funicular is divided into two portions with a total length of 3.5 kilometers, an elevation difference of 1643 meters, and a maximum slope of 68%.

Construction of the line commenced in 1906, and it opened in 1910.[2]

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).[3] The stairs are usually employee-only, but there is a public run called "Niesenlauf" once a year.[4]

The line is owned and operated by the Niesenbahn AG.[5][6][7]

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.[8]

The line comprises two sections, with an interchange station at Schwandegg, and has the following parameters:[5][6][7]

Feature	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 [9]

Further reading

• Doyon, Josy (1984), Ein Königreich am Fuss des Niesen (in German), Bern: Verlag Blaukreuz, ISBN 3-85580-169-X
• Petroni, Bruno (2010), Der Niesen und seine Bahn (in German), Interlaken: Verlag Schlaefli & Maurer, ISBN 978-3-85884-082-0
• Niesenbahn at Zeno.org. Article by: Viktor von Röll (ed.): Enzyklopädie des Eisenbahnwesens (Encyclopaedia of the Railway), 2nd edition, 1912–1923, Vol. 7, p. 360

References

1. "2405: Niesen Kulm - Mülenen" (PDF), Fahrplanfelder.ch, Tableaux-horaires.ch (in German), 2022, 2405
2. "Infos Niesen Funicular". Niesenbahn AG. Archived from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
3. "Science and Technology/Structures/Long Stairway". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 19 November 2005. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
4. "Niesen-Treppenlauf". Retrieved 2 September 2024.
5. "NB Neisenbahn". Funimag. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
6. "61.034 Mülenen - Schwandegg, Mülenen funicular". Schweizer Seilbahninventar = Inventaire suisse des installations à câbles = Inventario svizzero degli impianti a fune [Swiss Inventory of Cableways] (in German). Federal Office of Culture. 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
7. "61.035 Schwandegg - Niesen Kulm, Mülenen funicular". Schweizer Seilbahninventar = Inventaire suisse des installations à câbles = Inventario svizzero degli impianti a fune [Swiss Inventory of Cableways] (in German). Federal Office of Culture. 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
8. "Timetable Niesen Funicular". Niesenbahn AG. Archived from the original on 28 May 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
9. Suppes, Bernd (1994). Suppes 94/95 Historische Wertpapiere (ISSN 0936-9406). Wiesbaden-Bieberich: WWA Bernd Suppes. p. 467.

External links

• Media related to Niesenbahn at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website of the Niesenbahn
• Video of a round trip from the driver's point of view

46.639356°N 7.69021°E / 46.639356; 7.69021