Grafenort – Engelberg Tunnel
Overview | |
---|---|
Line | Luzern–Stans–Engelberg-Bahn |
Operation | |
Constructed | 2001-2010[1] |
Opened | December 2010 |
Technical | |
Length | 4043m |
Track gauge | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) |
Grade | 10.5% |
The Grafenort – Engelberg Tunnel is a railway tunnel built on the Luzern–Stans–Engelberg-Bahn, part of the Zentralbahn in Switzerland.[2]
Historically, the Luzern–Stans–Engelberg-Bahn had a very steep 25% incline between Grafenort and Engelberg; replacing this with a more direct tunnel has shortened uphill journey times by 14 minutes, and increased capacity.[3] Thanks to timetable changes, journey times between Engelberg and Zurich/Bern have been shortened by 19 minutes.[4]
Great care had to be taken with risk assessments and mitigation; some surrounding areas are very vulnerable to floods, landslides, or avalanches.[5] Serious flooding in 2005 not only disrupted tunnel construction, but also trapped 1500 tourists in Engelberg, who had to be airlifted to safety.[6][7]
Construction of the tunnel posed several severe technical challenges;[8] this also increased the cost, to 176.5 million CHF. As the tunnel allows the use of longer, faster trains, a new power station has been built to provide additional electrical power.[9]
References
- ↑ "Zentralbahn Tunnel Engelberg". Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ↑ "Neuer Steilrampentunnel zwischen Engelberg und Grafenort eröffnet". CASH. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ↑ "Railway Gazette: Less steep underneath". Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ↑ "Engelberg in Rekordzeit zu erreichen". Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ↑ "Natural Hazards in Engelberg" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ↑ "New Rail Tunnel To Engelberg Opening". Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ↑ "New rail tunnel set to open in Engelberg this month". Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ↑ "Der Engelberg-Tunnel und die Macht des Berges" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ↑ "Im Steilrampentunnel schneller nach Engelberg". Retrieved 2011-02-13.
Coordinates: 46°50′15″N 8°23′09″E / 46.8374°N 8.3857°E