Grafenort – Engelberg Tunnel
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Line | Luzern–Stans–Engelberg-Bahn |
| Operation | |
| Constructed | 2001-2010[1] |
| Opened | December 2010 |
| Technical | |
| Length | 4,043 m (13,264 ft) |
| Track gauge | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge |
| 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. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. 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). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ^ "Im Steilrampentunnel schneller nach Engelberg". Retrieved 2011-02-13.