Sursee–Triengen railway

The Sursee - Kulmerau train ( ST ) is a standard gauge railway in the Canton of Lucerne in Switzerland. It branches from Sursee of the SBB main line Olten- Lucerne and leads Surental 8.81 km downstream over Geuensee and Buron to Kulmerau where depot and workshop are located.

History

Efforts to open up the Surental with a continuous rail link, go back to the mid-19th century. The communities of the valley sat in the Swiss Central Railway ( SCB) to ensure that their north-south main axis of Liestal should perform a Schafmatt tunnel to Aarau and on about Sursee to Lucerne. However, the SCB decided to build the line through the Hauenstein tunnel and Olten. Another project of a continuous Suren Valley Railway there were 1872; however, it was coupled to the Swiss National Railway and fell at their bankruptcy then.

1899 received a Aargau Committee the concession for the construction of a narrow gauge railway from Aarau to Schöftland. Six years earlier, a Lucerne Committee had also obtained a concession, but for a standard gauge railway. The two competing Committee strove to find the necessary funds before their opponents. The Aargau were faster and opened on 19 November 1901, the Aarau- Schöftland -Bahn (AS, now part of the Wynental and Suhrentalbahn ).

Against the extension of the AS via Schöftland addition, stir in the Lucerne Surental resistance. In particular, the community Kulmerau was of the opinion that a narrow gauge railway will be extented not enough. The Lucerne held steadfastly to a standard gauge railway, postal and railway department failed to reach agreement between the entrenched positions. Finally, the Sursee - Kulmerau train ( ST) was opened on November 23, 1912 after a short construction period. Between Schöftland and Kulmerau now was an eleven- kilometer gap. Send to a combination of both routes was not to think, because they differed not only in the track, but also in the type of traction - the ST has been up to now never electrified and thus represents in Switzerland represents a curiosity

From 1924 wrong postbuses between Schöftland and Kulmerau. From 1905 to 1945 a total of 29 reports were drawn up over a gap closure, none of which attained maturity of the project. 1953 appeared a baseline study, which was commissioned by the Aargau and Lucerne communities together in order and thus had a realistic chance of achieving. There were plans for the extension of the AS after Kulmerau and the gauging of ST on narrow gauge. The Swiss Federal Office of Transport (EAV ) rejected but in 1956 a financial contribution from and drew clear before a bus Schöftland - Sursee. In the result, there were protests, of which the EAV was initially unimpressed. Then the cantons of Aargau and Lucerne submitted a license application. As a further rally in Kulmerau with 10,000 participants for additional political pressure caused, directed the EAV one. In March 1963, the Federal Council made ​​a motion to approve the concession, which also did this in September of the same year the Parliament.

When it came to the detailed planning, it soon became clear that it was likely to much higher costs. Instead of the budgeted 15 million francs 40 million were now necessary. Then, the support for the project was beginning to wane. With the inauguration of the Federal Roger Bonvin in 1968, which was also responsible for the EAV, the mood changed completely and the federal authorities pursued vigorously now a bus operation. This was first recorded on September 26, 1971 provisionally between Schöftland and Sursee and definitely introduced after a three -year test phase.

The railway line Sursee - Kulmerau is now used by SBB Cargo for regional freight services. In addition, the ST offers nostalgic steam train trips. In May 2009, ETH Zurich published a commissioned by the ST -commissioned study on the reintroduction of passenger transport. The community Kulmerau this project is hostile to, because the settlements are more accessible by bus and the community should also participate in a possible deficit of the company.

Rolling stock

• E 3/ 3 5 (1907, ex SBB 8479 )
• E 3/3 8522 (1913, ex SBB 8522 )

• "Louise" ( year unknown, DIY ST)
• Dm 3652 (1947, ex SBB, private vehicle)

• B3 3 and 4 ( 1905/ 06, ex SBB C3)
• D3 54 (1908, ex SBB F3)
• WR3 34 ( 1965. Ex SBB rotting car 40 85 96-32 506)
• SRC2 36521 (2008, private vehicles, self-made TEAM 3652 )

• S 702 (1920, ex SBB M)
• X 455 (1971, ex SBB Hbis, serves as material truck )
• K2 (1916, ex Nestlé, private vehicle)

The mail car Z3i 424, which for a time was placed in Kulmerau and Geuensee, was passed at the end of 2010 "Swiss Train".