The Gurten Funicular (German: Gurtenbahn) is a funicular railway in the southern suburbs of the Swiss federal city of Bern. The line links Wabern, in the municipality of Köniz, with the summit of the Gurten mountain (858 m), which overlooks the city of Bern.
Wabern can be reached from the city centre by tram, train or car. Wabern bei Bern station, on lines S3 and S31 of the Bern S-Bahn, is adjacent to the lower station of the Gurtenbahn, as is the Gurtenbahn stop on Bern tramway route 9.[2][3]
The line is owned and operated by the company Gurtenbahn Bern AG.[2][3]
History
The summit of the line, with upper station to left
The first concession for a line up the Gurten was granted in 1885 but never realized. A second concession was granted in 1893 and the line opened in 1899. In 1931 and 1932 the cars were overhauled and a new drive installed. In 1944 new cars were supplied and the lower station redesigned, with the upper station following in 1949. In 1966 the plant was renewed again.[2][4]
In 1999, the line was completely rebuilt. All the stations were renovated, the drive was replaced, and new panorama carriages were put into operation.[2]
In 2015, the line carried over one million passengers, the largest annual ridership up until that year. In the same year, the line made a profit of around 250,000 Swiss francs.[5]
Operation
Lower station (2006)
The line is operated by the Gurtenbahn company. It has the following parameters:[2][6]
Aerni, Agathon (1989), Der Gurten und seine Bahn (in German), vol. Band I: Die Erschliessung des Berner Hausberges, Bern: Verlag Stämpfli
Gurtenbahn at Zeno.org. Article by: Viktor von Röll (ed.): Enzyklopädie des Eisenbahnwesens (Encyclopaedia of the Railway), 2nd edition, 1912–1923, Vol. 6, p. 38
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