Brünig railway line

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Brünig railway line
metre gauge
Electrification15 kV  16.7 Hz AC overhead line
Maximum incline12% (rack); 3% (adhesion)
Route diagram

Legend
km
elevation (M)
or length (m)
SBB to Olten
SBB to Lenzburg
SBB to Zug
SBB to Bern
SBB to Immensee
0.0
 Lucerne
436 M
Start of dual gauge section
Hubelmatt tunnel
550 m
Lucerne Allmend/Messe
KLB to Eichhof brewery [de]
Industrial sidings
Allmend tunnel
3.4
 Kriens Mattenhof
to Wiggen
End of dual gauge section
4.5
 Horw
441 M
Industrial siding
Spier tunnel
7.4
 Hergiswil Matt
445 M
8.7
 Hergiswil
449 M
zb to Engelberg
Lopper I Tunnel
1,186 m
Pilatus Railway
13.2
 Alpnachstad
435 M
14.9
 Alpnach Dorf
452 M
18.7
 Kerns-Kägiswil
Sarnen Nord
20.6
 Sarnen
473 M
23.4
 Sachseln
471 M
 Ewil Maxon
29.3
 Giswil
485 M
rack section
32.2
 Kaiserstuhl OW
698 M
Tschoren
44 m
35.8
 Lungern
752 M
Käppeli
146 m
37.8
 Käppeli
896 M
40.1
 Brünig-Hasliberg
1,002 M
42.1
 Brunnenfluh
810 M
45.5
 Meiringen
595 M
MIB to Innertkirchen
50.8
 Unterbach
53.2
 Brienzwiler
575 M
BRB to Rothorn
57.8
 Brienz
566 M
Brienzdorf
895 m
59.3
 Brienz West
581 M
Bachtalen
168 m
Dorni
361 m
61.9
 Ebligen
582 M
Bolaui
134 m
65.0
 Oberried am Brienzersee
589 M
Kehlengraben
187 m
Grütgraben
55 m
68.3
 Niederried
578 M
Platten
26 m
Lehnen
53 m
Ringgenberg
112 m
71.0
 Ringgenberg
596 M
Bürgli
50 m
Rotegg
348 m
Aare
167 m
BLS workshops
BOB to Lauterbrunnen
74.0
 Interlaken Ost
567 M
BLS to Bern
km
elevation (M)
or length (m)
This diagram:

The Brünig railway line (

Alpnachstad, Giswil, Meiringen and Brienz, and passes over the Brünig Pass, using sections of rack railway to overcome the gradients, but with most of the line operated by normal adhesion methods.[1]

The line is 74 kilometres (46 mi) long. It opened in stages between 1888 and 1916, and was, between 1903 and 2004, the only

Regio trains between Interlaken and Meiringen, and Lucerne S-Bahn trains between Lucerne and Giswil. The section between Hergiswil and Lucerne is shared with the Luzern–Stans–Engelberg line.[2][3][4]

History

An early train on the climb from Meiringen to the Brünig pass
A train near Meiringen, under Swiss Federal Railways ownership.

The line was constructed by the

Jura–Simplon Railway (JS).[2][3][5]

In 1903, the JS became part of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). Only in 1916 did the last section of the current line, between Brienz and Interlaken, open. This allowed through trains to operate from Lucerne to Interlaken, and provided an easy interchange with trains to Bern and beyond.

The line was electrified in 1941 and 1942, using the standard Swiss main line system of 15 kV  16.7 Hz AC supplied by overhead line. The electrification led to a significant acceleration of services, with typical through journey times reduced from over 3 hours to 2 hours.[2][3]

In 1964, a junction was constructed at

Swiss Federal Council empowered the SBB to sell the Brünig line to the Zentralbahn company, formed by the LSE, and which now owns both railways. The takeover took effect on 1 January 2005.[2][6]

In late 2012, a new tunnel route was opened between

Lucerne Allmend/Messe, built within the tunnel, serves the Swissporarena.[7][8]

Operation

Route

Gradient profile of the line
Start of the line; the Brünig line terminal platforms in Lucerne station.
Giswil station is the terminus of the S-Bahn service from Lucerne.
A GoldenPass Line liveried train descending the rack section from the Brünig Pass towards Giswil.
Brünig-Hasliberg station is the summit of the line, in the Brünig Pass.
A train climbing the rack section from Meiringen to the Brünig Pass.
Regio trains, made up of Stadler SPATZ units, passing at Brienz.
Bridge carrying the line over the Aare into Interlaken Ost.

The line begins at Lucerne station, one of Switzerland's principal railway stations and which is shared with the standard gauge lines of the Swiss Federal Railways. The metre gauge terminal platforms, and the first section of the line, are shared with trains of the Luzern–Stans–Engelberg line. Shortly after leaving the station, the line enters a tunnel under Lucerne's southern suburbs as far as Kriens Mattenhof station. From here the line runs on the surface to Hergiswil, where the Luzern–Stans–Engelberg line diverges.[1][3]

From

Alpnachstad, which is the starting point of the Pilatus Railway. The two lines are of different gauges, and there is no track connection. From Alpnachstad station, the Brünig line follows the Sarner Aa and Lake Sarnen to Giswil. Beyond Giswil station, the line's first rack section then allows the line to climb to Kaiserstuhl station. From here, the runs through the upper basin of the Sarner Aa and alongside Lake Lungern as far as Lungern. This is the steepest adhesion worked section of the line.[1][3]

After

Meiringen–Innertkirchen Railway (MIB) connects here, leaving the station from its eastern end. Although there is a track connection between the two lines, they are electrically incompatible, and no through trains operate.[1][3]

From Meiringen to

Berner Oberland Railway (BOB). There is a physical connection with the BOB, which is also metre gauge, but again the lines are electrically incompatible and no through trains operate.[1]

Stations

Infrastructure

The line is built to

Riggenbach rack to overcome the steeper gradients encounted on the approaches to the Brünig pass, but with most of the line operated by normal adhesion methods. The line is electrified using the standard Swiss main line system of 15 kV, 16+2⁄3 Hz AC, delivered by overhead line. The line has maximum gradients of 12%, using the rack, and 3%, using simple adhesion.[1]

The route is 74 kilometres (46 mi) long. It consists mostly of single track with passing loops at most stations, although the section between Lucerne and Hergiswil, which is shared with the Luzern–Stans–Engelberg line, is mostly double track. For much of the distance between Lucerne and Horw, one of these two tracks is

standard gauge freight trains to reach the industrial areas along the line, and the Eichhof brewery.[1]

The steam locomotives G 3/4 and HG 3/3 can operate on the rack sections only in the forward direction, hence turntables are needed. The historic, hand-operated turntable in Meiringen was dismantled in 2011, but was rebuilt at a new location in 2013.[9] Similarly, the historic turntable in Giswil was moved to another location in the course of the renewal of the station in 2013.[10]

Services

The line is served by hourly InterRegio trains that operate the full length of the line, taking just under two hours for the journey. These through trains stop at all stations between Meiringen and Giswil, where they provide the only service, but only at a selected stations between Interlaken and Meiringen, and between Lucerne and Giswil.

The through trains are supplemented by local trains at each end of the route. An hourly

S4.[4]

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-3-89494-130-7
    .
  2. ^ a b c d "Die Geschichte der Zentralbahn" (in German). Zentralbahn. Archived from the original on 2013-07-23. Retrieved 2013-12-11.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Allen, Cecil J. (1958). Switzerland's Amazing Railways. London: Thomas Nelson and Sons. pp. 107–109.
  4. ^ a b "Luzern–Brünig–Interlaken" (PDF). Bundesamt für Verkehr. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
  5. ^ Bärtschi, Hans-Peter. "Jura-Simplon-Bahn (JS)" (in German). Historischen Lexikon der Schweiz. Retrieved 2013-12-11.
  6. ISBN 3-907014-10-3
    .
  7. ^ "Ausbau Zentralbahn" [Zentralbahn Expansion] (in German). Archived from the original on 2007-03-26. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
  8. ^ "Ausbau Zentralbahn - Ziele und Nutzen" [Zentralbahn Expansion - Objectives and Benefits] (in German). Archived from the original on 2010-04-29. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
  9. ^ "Rettungsaktion für Drehscheibe". 6 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018 – via www.bernerzeitung.ch.
  10. ^ eisenbahn-magazin 4/2013, S. 27

External links

Media related to Brünig railway line at Wikimedia Commons

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