Seetalbahn
Encyclopedia
The Seetalbahn is a railway of the Swiss Federal Railways between Lenzburg
and Lucerne
in Switzerland
. The track, when created, was originally named the Swiss Lake Valley Railway Company and was owned by British investors. The passengers included tourists from Lucerne doing sightseeing tours to the Hallwilersee and Baldeggersee lakes. On September 3, 1883, the first section was opened. Expansions of the main line followed, as well as a short branch line between Beinwil and Beromünster. The branch line was closed down, however, in 1997.
Before it was purchased by the Swiss Confederation and integrated in the Swiss Federal Railways in 1922, the Seethalbahn (spelling of the period) even had restaurant carriages. It was a pioneer of the electrification of Switzerland's railways, starting electric service in 1910 with 5500 V 25 Hz a.c. In 1930 SBB normalized the electrification to 15 kV 16 Hz.
The Seetalbahn had the worst safety record of all Swiss Federal Railways lines, caused by many unguarded level crossings and the circumstances that it was originally constructed as a long distance tram
way. In the villages between Lenzburg and Emmen it still runs beside roads and adjacent houses.
Lenzburg
Lenzburg is a town in the central region of the Swiss canton Aargau and is the capital of the district of the same name. The town, founded in the Middle Ages, lies in the Seetal valley, about 3 kilometres south of the Aare river. Lenzburg and the neighbouring municipalities of Niederlenz and...
and Lucerne
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
in Switzerland
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....
. The track, when created, was originally named the Swiss Lake Valley Railway Company and was owned by British investors. The passengers included tourists from Lucerne doing sightseeing tours to the Hallwilersee and Baldeggersee lakes. On September 3, 1883, the first section was opened. Expansions of the main line followed, as well as a short branch line between Beinwil and Beromünster. The branch line was closed down, however, in 1997.
Before it was purchased by the Swiss Confederation and integrated in the Swiss Federal Railways in 1922, the Seethalbahn (spelling of the period) even had restaurant carriages. It was a pioneer of the electrification of Switzerland's railways, starting electric service in 1910 with 5500 V 25 Hz a.c. In 1930 SBB normalized the electrification to 15 kV 16 Hz.
The Seetalbahn had the worst safety record of all Swiss Federal Railways lines, caused by many unguarded level crossings and the circumstances that it was originally constructed as a long distance tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
way. In the villages between Lenzburg and Emmen it still runs beside roads and adjacent houses.