With a slope of nearly 48 degrees, the Schwyz-Stoos in Switzerland is currently the steepest cable-carrying railway in the world.
The Schwyz-Stoos railway (German name is Standseilbahn Schwyz-Stoos) cost 44.6 million euros to build, started operation on December 17, is hailed as a great achievement of engineering design modern.
The inauguration was held at the Stoos resort in Alpine, the heart of Switzerland, at an altitude of 1,300 meters above sea level. (Photo: EPA).
The carriages are designed to be cylindrical like beer kegs that will keep passengers in an upright position, even when the train is up or downhill along the 1,720 meter stretch. The path has a slope of up to 110% (47.7º).
The train departs from a valley station near Schwyz and travels to the mountain village of Stoos, inhabited by only about 100 people, about 50 kilometers south of Zurich.
The Stoos line is designed with an incline adjustment system, which helps all four cabins containing 34 passengers always keep level during the trip. (Photo: EPA).
Mr. Ivan Steiner, a spokesman for the railway, said that this line replaces the old train line that has been in operation since 1933. He said: “After 14 years of planning and construction, everyone is very excited. proud of this train line.”
The Gondola Project, a cable transport system website, said plans to build the Schwyz-Stoos railway line faced a number of challenges before construction began: “The designers had to analyze 15 different options before choosing the current route and technology”.
The Gelmerbahn line in the Swiss capital Bern was formerly the steepest railway in the world, with a maximum slope of 106%. The East Cliff Lift high-speed rail line built in 1902 is the steepest railway in the UK, with a slope of 78%. However, all were “beaten” by the Schwyz-Stoos railway.