Zimmerberg Tunnel

This article is about the tunnel in Horgen opened in 1897. For the tunnel between Zurich and Thalwil, see Zimmerberg Base Tunnel.
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+1⁄2 in)
Electrified15 kV/16.7 Hz AC
Grade13‰[2]
Route map
Map

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]

History

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

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

  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

  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.