Dolderbahn
Encyclopedia
The Dolderbahn is a 1.3 km (0.807784557644749 mi) long rack railway
in the Swiss
city of Zurich
, and is owned by the Dolderbahn-Betriebs AG. The line was opened in 1895 as a funicular railway
, and converted to rack operation in 1973. Because of this history, it is still sometimes erroneously referred to as a funicular or cable car.
The line is in Zurich's Hottingen
and Fluntern
suburbs on the south slope of the Adlisberg
mountain. The lower terminus of the line is at Römerhof, some 1.5 km (0.93205910497471 mi) from the city centre, where it connects with several lines of the Zurich tramway
. The upper terminus at Bergstation Dolderbahn is adjacent to the Dolder Grand Hotel and the Dolder recreation area. Two intermediate stations, at Titlisstrasse and Waldhaus Dolder, are also served.
In 1971 the concession of the original company expired, and a new company, the Dolderbahn-Betriebs-AG, was created to convert the line to rack operation. At the same time the line was extended at its upper end to serve the Dolder Grand Hotel, thus replacing the bus that had in turn replaced the tram. The new line opened in 1973, and was extensively renovated in 2004.
of and uses the Strub rack system. The line is single track with a single intermediate passing loop, situated between Titlisstrasse and Waldhaus Dolder stations.
The line is operated by a pair of four-wheel rack railcars, each of which can carry 100 passengers. They were built by the Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works
, with electrical equipment from Brown, Boveri & Cie
, in 1972.
The line runs from 06.20 until 23.30 every day, with services running every 10, 15 or 20 minutes depending on the time of day. The journey time is approximately 5 minutes. The standard Zürcher Verkehrsverbund zonal fare tariffs apply, with the whole of the line being within fare zone 10 (Zurich city).
Rack railway
A rack-and-pinion railway is a railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail...
in the Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
city of Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, and is owned by the Dolderbahn-Betriebs AG. The line was opened in 1895 as a funicular railway
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
, and converted to rack operation in 1973. Because of this history, it is still sometimes erroneously referred to as a funicular or cable car.
The line is in Zurich's Hottingen
Hottingen (Zürich)
Hottingen is a quarter in the district 7 in Zurich.It was formerly a municipality of its own, having been incorporated into Zurich in 1893.The quarter has a population of 10,100 distributed on an area of 5.05 km²....
and Fluntern
Fluntern
Fluntern is a quarter in the district 7 in Zurich.It was formerly a municipality of its own, having been incorporated into Zurich in 1893.The quarter has a population of 7,325 distributed on an area of 2.84 km².-Weather:-References:...
suburbs on the south slope of the Adlisberg
Adlisberg
Adlisberg is a wooded mountain overlooking the Zürichsee , neighboored in the northwest by the Zürichberg.- Geography :Adlisberg mountain is located to the east of the city of Zürich, between the Glatt river valley and Lake Zürich. Its highest point is about above the Lake Zürich...
mountain. The lower terminus of the line is at Römerhof, some 1.5 km (0.93205910497471 mi) from the city centre, where it connects with several lines of the Zurich tramway
Zürich trams
Trams make an important contribution to public transport in the city of Zurich in Switzerland. The tram network serves most city neighbourhoods, and is the backbone of public transport within the city, albeit supplemented by the inner sections of the Zurich S-Bahn, along with urban trolleybus and...
. The upper terminus at Bergstation Dolderbahn is adjacent to the Dolder Grand Hotel and the Dolder recreation area. Two intermediate stations, at Titlisstrasse and Waldhaus Dolder, are also served.
History
The Dolderbahn-Aktiengesellschaft company was formed to build the Dolderbahn in 1893, with construction commencing the following year. The line was built as a funicular railway and opened in 1895. The upper terminus of the funicular was at the Dolder Waldhaus Hotel, roughly on the site of the uppermost of the current line's two intermediate stations. In 1899, this upper terminus was linked to the Dolder Grand Hotel by a short electric tramway, which was replaced by a bus in 1930.In 1971 the concession of the original company expired, and a new company, the Dolderbahn-Betriebs-AG, was created to convert the line to rack operation. At the same time the line was extended at its upper end to serve the Dolder Grand Hotel, thus replacing the bus that had in turn replaced the tram. The new line opened in 1973, and was extensively renovated in 2004.
Operation
The line is 1.3 km (0.807784557644749 mi) long and overcomes a height difference of 162 m (531.5 ft). It has a rail gaugeRail gauge
Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...
of and uses the Strub rack system. The line is single track with a single intermediate passing loop, situated between Titlisstrasse and Waldhaus Dolder stations.
The line is operated by a pair of four-wheel rack railcars, each of which can carry 100 passengers. They were built by the Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works
Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works
Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works were a railway equipment manufacturer based in Winterthur in Switzerland...
, with electrical equipment from Brown, Boveri & Cie
Brown, Boveri & Cie
Brown, Boveri & Cie was a Swiss group of electrical engineering companies.It was founded in Baden, Switzerland, in 1891 by Charles Eugene Lancelot Brown and Walter Boveri who worked at the Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon. In 1970 BBC took over the Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon...
, in 1972.
The line runs from 06.20 until 23.30 every day, with services running every 10, 15 or 20 minutes depending on the time of day. The journey time is approximately 5 minutes. The standard Zürcher Verkehrsverbund zonal fare tariffs apply, with the whole of the line being within fare zone 10 (Zurich city).