The Zugerbergbahn is a funicular railway in the southern-eastern suburbs of the Swiss city of Zug, in the canton of Zug. The line links the Zug suburb of Schönegg with the Zugerberg mountain overlooking the city and Lake Zug. The line has a length of 1280 m and a difference of elevation of 366 m.
It is operated by the company Zugerbergbahn AG.
History The line opened in the spring of 1907, and was owned and operated by the Zuger Berg- und Strassenbahn AG (ZBB). This company also operated a connecting electric tramway that linked Schönegg with Zug railway station. In 1959, the ZBB replaced its tram service with a bus service, and this was transferred to the bus company in 1999. At the same time, the ZBB adopted the name Zugerbergbahn AG.
The cars were first replaced in 1931, whilst the lower and upper stations were rebuilt in 1950-52 and 1970/71 respectively. The railway was comprehensively modernized and renovated in 1984, when a third generation of cars was installed. Further renovation work carried out in 2009, when new fourth generation panoramic cars were installed and the line adapted for use by wheelchair users.
Operation The line operates every 30 minutes from 06:00 (07:00 on Saturdays and Sundays) to 23:00. It has the following parameters:
Feature ValueNumber of cars2Number of stops2 (at terminals)ConfigurationSingle track with passing loopTrack lengthRiseMaximum gradient47%Track gaugeCapacity80 passengers per carMaximum speedTravel time6 minutes
Bus service 11 of the Zugerland Verkehrsbetriebe connects the lower station of the funicular with the centre of Zug and Zug railway station, with buses connecting with all scheduled funicular services.
See also List of funicular railways List of funiculars in Switzerland
References
External links
Official web site of the Zugerbergbahn (in German)