Luzern–Stans–Engelberg railway line

The Luzern- Stans- Engelberg -Bahn is a narrow gauge railway in the central Switzerland. The same company ( LSE), which built the railway line was, with the Brünigbahn the Swiss Federal Railways ( SBB) merged on 1 January 2005 on the Central Railway, which for a long meter-gauge track Hergiswil -Stans -Engelberg runs described here almost 25 kilometers.

History

Luzern- Stans- Engelberg -Bahn

In 1890, the concession for a railway from Stansstad to Engelberg was granted. The route on October 5, 1898 Opened by the Company Stansstad -Engelberg -Bahn ( StEB ). She was electrified from the outset what they then made ​​the longest electrically operated railway line in Switzerland. According to the then state of the art decision was made for three-phase (750 V 32 Hz), from which it also benefits to the operation on the promised 246 ‰ - rack section between Grafenort and Engelberg. To avoid the steep section at Grünenwald a road crossing with rack, a bascule bridge was built over the rails for the road.

The Stansstad -Engelberg -Bahn made ​​the older, electric streetcar Stansstad Stans superfluous. The latter was shut down on September 30, 1903. The route originally ended in Stansstad on Lake Lucerne. For a continuation to Hergiswil with connection to SBB Brünigbahn a concession was granted in 1956, its use, however, was delayed due to financial difficulties.

Once the funding was secured by loans and contributions from the public, began construction of the connection Stansstad Hergiswil with integration into the station of SBB Brünigbahn and a complete renovation of the existing Adhäsionsstrecke to the standards of Brünigbahn. In this framework, the overhead line was on the traction power system of the SBB ( 15 kV 16 ⅔ Hz AC) and rebuilt in places Neutrassierungen were made. After a multi- week break, the train was on December 16, 1964 returned to service and was able to re- direct trains to Lucerne offer under shared Brünigbahn section. The financially rehabilitated StEB took restarting the name of Luzern- Stans- Engelberg -Bahn (LSE ).

On 30 June 2004, the Federal Council has authorized the SBB, the Brünigbahn for Sale ( Lucerne - Interlaken Ost ) to the LSE; SBB was compensated with newly issued shares of the LSE. The concession of the LSE was extended to the Brünigbahn. Since 1 January 2005, the merged railroad company operates under the name of Central Railway.

Train the LSE on the old route in Green forest in mountain forest

Beginning of the rack in the upper Matt

Rack operation

In the three-phase operation, the 1579 m long rack ramp between Green Forest and Ghärst could be overcome before Engelberg only 5 km / h, the railcar (except the last procured carriage 103 ) was added to the side of the valley a gear locomotive that pushed the train uphill or downhill slowed. The 1964 to 2010 and procured exclusively used railcars BDeh 4/4 managed to at least 14.5 km / h uphill. They could push two cars uphill and pull once per day an additional car. In contrast, double traction was not allowed on the steep ramp, which at peak times, the parts of the trains in Grafenort required.

With the opening of the new tunnel with only 105 ‰ slope ( the Zahnstangenein entrances and exits are located in the tunnel itself, shortly after the portals ) is a normal continuous use of trains possible. There are locomotives HGe 4/4 II with up to seven cars in use, the length of trains is limited by the Perron length in Engelberg. For additional trains and the two 1970 nachbeschafften railcars 6 and 7 were used, but their reduced speed on the rack made ​​it difficult to timetabling. Since December 2013, only the faster HGe 4/4 II and the new multiple units are used.

2005 flood

When devastating floods on 22 August 2005, the railway line in the lower portion of the upper Aaschlucht between Matt and Grafenort by debris flows, scour, debris and sludge deposits was almost completely destroyed. At the upper end of the Aaschlucht, just before entering the village of Engelberg, rushed the viaduct to which aided railway line and the adjacent main road, into the abyss. The rails remained free hanging in the air and were no longer passable. For a few days Engelberg was accessible only by helicopter, then a Notstrasse. After extensive reconstruction work could be resumed to Engelberg on December 15, 2005, the railway operations.

Engelberg tunnel

From 2001, a 4043 m long tunnel was built between Grafenort and bottom, with the bypass the existing steep track and the maximum gradient of 246 ‰ is reduced to 105 ‰. This makes it possible to drive with longer trains as on the Brünigbahn. The completion of the project was originally planned for the autumn of 2005, but was delayed due to geological problems: Both 2002, 2003 and 2005, there was major flooding in the tunnel with up to 1000 l / s After completion of the building shell in September 2009, the tunnel was opened with the timetable change in December 2010. The construction costs rose due to the unexpected difficulties as well as the inflation of initially 68.1 million Swiss francs to now about 176.5 million Swiss francs.

The new building, the traveling time from Lucerne to Engelberg was reduced by 14 to 47 minutes and the capacity of 400 to 1000 people per hour will be more than doubled. However, accounted for the special appeal of a train ride through the mountain forest to Engelberg. Railway enthusiasts launched in 2006 with the idea to make the mountain route as a museum railway. Further definitions of this idea but did not follow.

On December 7, 2010 at 20:50 clock the last timetabled train drove on the mountain section of Grafenort to Engelberg. Until the timetable change on 12 December 2010 Railway replacement buses were used on the track. At the same time began the dismantling of the old route.

On 11 December 2010, the new steep ramp tunnel was opened with a celebration. The abbot of the monastery of Engelberg blessed the tunnel.