Uetliberg railway line

The Uetlibergbahn ( UEB ) is a former railway company in the city of Zurich. Their assets were taken over in 1922 by a collecting society, which with the Sihltalbahn Sihltal Zurich Uetliberg Bahn ( SZU ) merged in 1973.

The Uetlibergbahn was up to 79 per mil pitch for a long time the steepest standard gauge adhesion railway in Europe. It is integrated since 1990 as S- line S 10 in the network of S -Bahn Zurich and marketed by SZU again under the name Uetlibergbahn. The steepest standard gauge railway friction in Europe, which is traveled in public transport is to date, the Stuttgart Stadtbahn line U15 on their southern branch, which rises up to 85 per thousand.

2013 were transported 4.5 million passengers, slightly less than last year.

• 2.1 Scrapped rolling stock

History

On 12 May 1875, the Uetliberg railway ( UEB ) was inaugurated in the same year as the long-vanished hotel Uetliberg. Small steam locomotives Krauss pushed two, three, two-axle passenger cars from the train Selnau on the slope of 70 per thousand to the summit of the mountain views Zürcher up. With the steam railway ran until 1920.

Financial problems were there from the beginning, the revenues of the railway depended solely on the uncertain excursions. So one of the steam locomotives was leased to the Wädenswil - Einsiedeln- web to make ends meet. Planning a continuation of the path from the provisional endpoint Selnau - at the hill of the old city - to the station Zurich (now Hauptbahnhof), to pick up more tourists failed for urban planning, but mainly for financial reasons.

The Sihltalbahn ( SiTb ) took in 1892 to operate from the starting point Giesshübel in the former town Wiedikon. While the freight of Giesshübel on the link to the Zurich train station Wiedikon passed to the NOB, the passenger trains used the usual route Giesshübel - Selnau, which was expanded in 1983 by the SZU to double-track route.

During the Belle Epoque railway operations flourished, but the First World War went to the web is not unscathed, and the lack of tourists made ​​financially despite noticeable timetable restrictions and short-term operational settings. In October 1920, therefore, the setting of passenger traffic and the liquidation of the Company was approved. The operation of the freight tracks in the Binz that were incurred after the opening of the link after Wiedikon, but went on.

Railway company Zurich - Uetliberg

On February 28, 1922, as a collecting society, the railway company Zurich - Uetliberg ( BZUe ), founded the city of Zurich as the principal shareholder. In the same year the railway operation was resumed temporarily with steam operation, while work on the electrification began.

Electrification

Despite the distance, the Community BZUe and SiTb for two completely different power systems chosen. When BZUe the consideration in the foreground, switch tracks, the track and stand - analogous to Forchbahn - to integrate into the urban tramway network and so to realize the extension to the Central Station. Decision was therefore made for direct current at a voltage of 1200 volts. When SiTb other hand, a full track with freight and direct connection to the network of the SBB in Wiedikon and since 1897 at the Gotthard Railway feeder in Sihlbrugg, was out of the question that one of the SBB - unit current ( AC 15 kV 16 2/ 3 Hz) will use. Since the range of SiTb by SBB vehicles ( and vice versa) should also be open, the contact line and thus the pantographs of Uetlibergbahn had to be offset by 1300 mm laterally.

Due to this feature, the BZUe in Selnau station was limited to the western tracks, while the SiTb took the eastern. The envisaged Umspurung and integration remained under the tram network. 1952 a trolleybus line (600 volts DC ) was opened in the Friesenbergstrasse crossing the Uetlibergbahn at the station Friesenberg ground level.

Already with the vehicle procurement in 1939 (Box Width 2.55 m instead of 2.20m ) the idea of ​​Umspurbarkeit was abandoned and since the underground extension to the Zurich Main Station 1990 she is definitely no longer an issue. On the conversion of Uetlibergbahn on AC but was not previously waived. In September 2010, the appointment of six new two-system train set with the company Stadler Rail has been announced for the Uetliberg, which are two current performance with a view to future conversion to alternating current to the current collector is moved laterally. This also opens up the possibility of using the trains on the Sihltalbahn. Since 2013, these trains are in use.

Sihltal Zurich Uetliberg Bahn

Already in 1932 handed over the city of Zurich the operation and management of BZUe to the Sihltalbahn, which for over 40 years the Uetlibergbahn operation before it on 1 January 1973 merged with this. The Sihltalbahn took over the majority of shares in Uetlibergbahn and changed its name to Zurich Uetliberg Bahn Sihltal ( SZU ).

In the operation of the railways, the merger had no effect, since by then already certain vehicles that were suitable for use on both routes were used together. The fleet of vehicles for passenger transport was isolated until 2013. With the merger, however, was changed successively affixed to the vehicles, which were then written for years consistently with SZU, but had different colors. In the 1990s, it covered the standardized logo and introduced the old names Uetlibergbahn and Sihltalbahn back on which are mounted again today in this form on the vehicles.

Track Removal

In view of the 1990, of the Zurich S-Bahn SZU was extended to the central station. The "provisional " overground station Selnau was canceled and returned to the area after 115 years back to the city. As these constructions created in the right half of Sihlbetts - the left half is reserved for Sihltiefstrasse ( A3/A1 city highway ) - performs the dual route under the Selnau -Areal by the Sihltunnel where the new station is Selnau, and up to the underground SZU station under the ShopVille south of the main train station.

Since intersections are to be avoided as far as possible between the contact lines of the two current systems, can still only cross Broad Sihltalbahn between Giesshübel and Selnau between Selnau and the main train station, however, only the traits of Uetlibergbahn.

Explanation of line kilometering

The old station was Selnau kilometer zero, the new station Selnau and the Central Station but "before" this zero point. Since negative kilometer are not common and a full Neukilometrierung SZU was excluded certain one the main train station 90.00 km. Selnau is 91.04 kilometers and 91.23 kilometers is equal to km 00:00, from here, the old chainage.

Rolling stock

Railcar

• Be 556531-532 (1978 ), formerly Be 8/8 31-32
• Be 556521-528 (1993 ), formerly known as Be 4/4 21-28

Low-floor intermediate coach

• B 221-224 (2003)

By 2013, six three-piece railcar trains for each 300 passengers are put into service. In addition, the previously three-piece sets of two railcars 521-528 and an intermediate cars are 221-224 regrouped to four -part sets.

Scrapped rolling stock

Railcar

• BDe 576 513 (1960 ), formerly BDe 4/4 13 Vehicle scrapped in 2006, conversion from Stadler Winterthur for the OC ( BDe 4/4 15 « L' Orbe ")
• BDe 576 514 (1960 ), formerly BDe 4/4 14 2006 scrapped vehicle, removal of replacement parts for the 576 513, then abort

Control car

• BT 912 (1960) Vehicle scrapped in 2006, conversion from Stadler Winterthur for the OC (Bt 51 « La Sihl ")