WIR 01/2019 [EN]

International Projects
21
Modernized Mühlegg
funicular back in service
38-FUL Mühlegg Funicular | St. Gallen, Canton St. Gallen (CHE)
Mühleggbahn AG
322 m 71 m 450 PPH 5.0 m/s 2 38-passengers cars November 17, 2018
St. Gallen’s historic funicular has reopened
with significant value added following a
seven-month refurbishment.
The Mühlegg funicular connects the historic
quarter of St. Gallen in the south with the St.
Georgen district higher up and has been an integral
part of the cityscape since 1893. Back
then, it was the city’s fi rst ever public means of
transport. In November 2018, the upgraded
Mühlegg funicular went back into service following
a seven-month break for modernization.
The funicular, which can carry up to 450 passengers
an hour, is now entirely barrier-free. Every
passenger is now able to enter the car without
having to negotiate any steps or ramps. Loading
and unloading has been made much easier
thanks to doors at the uphill and downhill ends
of the car, particularly for passengers with baby
strollers, wheelchairs or bicycles. The car
features generously dimensioned glazing and
carries passengers from the edge of the city
direct to the center in less than two minutes –
many residents use the funicular as a means of
transport for getting to work or for accessing
St. Gallen’s recreational areas.
Added value for the passengers
As well as ensuring barrier-free access, the
upgrade included an overhaul of the 125-yearold
tunnel wall. Despite the fact that this
reduced the tunnel’s cross section, it was still
possible to increase passenger capacity to
38. The upper and lower terminal buildings
have also been modernized. Garaventa was
responsible for the entire ropeway equipment
including the track. “The aim of the rebuild
was to enable us to offer every passenger
genuine value added. We achieved that with
an integral station and vehicle concept,” says
Garaventa project manager Ueli Sutter.
From 1893 until 1950, the Mühlegg funicular
operated as a two-car system. Filling and
emptying water tanks enabled propulsion to
be generated by gravity. It later ran as an
electrically powered rack-and-pinion railway
from 1950 to 1974. Following another rebuild
in 1975, this became the first automated funicular
in Switzerland. The fi rst funicular car was
replaced by a more contemporary model in
2004. Since 2018, the Mühlegg railway has
become an ultramodern urban funicular thanks to
the new integral station and vehicle concept.
The passenger flow concept put forward
by Garaventa, with doors at the uphill and
downhill ends of the car, has significantly
enhanced the comfort and user-friendliness
of the funicular for our guests and has
therefore been a complete success.
Roland Streule, Technical Director,
Mühleggbahn AG / Managing Director,
Streutec GmbH
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...
the funicular has grown very close to
the hearts of St. Gallen’s population?
Alongside the city council and Mühleggbahn
AG, a local friends’ association provided
the funding for the project. The offi cial
opening ceremony on November 17, 2018
was attended by many visibly delighted
local residents.