Lötschberg mountain route

Lötschberg mountain route
Timetable field :	330 (until 2007 No. 300)
Route length:	74 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Power system :	15 kV 16.7 Hz  ~
Maximum slope :	27.6  ‰
Minimum radius :	220 m
Spiez – Frutigen – Brig
Legend BLS routes from Zweisimmen and Thun -0.11 Spiez 630  m above sea level M. BLS route to Interlaken Ost Hondrich II (1709 m) formerly Hondrich I (1601 m) 2.89 Hondrich South 650  m above sea level M. 5.16 Heustrich-Emdtal 678  m above sea level M. 6.85 Mülenen 692  m above sea level M. Connection to the Niesenbahn 8.29 Reichenbach in the Kandertal 706  m above sea level M. 11.3 Wengi shut down (track laying) 11.4 Wengi-Ey 728  m above sea level M. Engstlige tunnel 13.54 Frutigen 779  m above sea level M. Separation of Frutigen Widitunnel (submission) Frutigen north portal (Tellenfeld) Lötschberg base tunnel (34,600 m) Kanderviadukt I and II (265 m) 17.45 Kandergrund shut down Fürten I (697 m) Felsenburg I (19 m) Felsenburg II (29 m) 22.35 Blausee -Mitholz partially shut down 974  m above sea level M. Felsenburg III (112 m) Felsenburg (68 m) Fürten II (510 m) Haltwald-Fürtfluh (72 m) Bunderbach spiral tunnel (1655 m) Ronenwald (76 m) Ronenwald I (59 m) Ronenwald II (60 m) Feschfluh (98 m) 27.11 Rock castle lane change, SIM corridor 1082  m above sea level M. Rotbach (50 m) Hemligen (106 m) Riedschuk (1536 m) Sarengraben (68 m) 31.57 Kandersteg 1176  m above sea level M. from loading station car trains Scout camp Parking tracks for car trains 33.10 Eggenschwand 1193  m above sea level M. Lötschberg tunnel (14,612 m) 40.01 Tunnel station 1237  m above sea level M. 40.84 Culminating point 1240  m above sea level M. 42.12 Canton border Bern - Valais 48.44 Goppenstein 1217  m above sea level M. to the loading station car trains Lonza right / middle (87/84 m) Rotlaui (286 m) (Distribution of the tracks, left on the mountain side) Mittalgraben tunnel II (1600 m) Mittalgraben I (459 m) Luegie (493 m) Hohegg (118 m) Marchgraben (207 m) Hohtenn (1346 m) (Merging of the tracks) 54.19 Hohtenn 1078  m above sea level M. Luegelkinn (116 m) Schluchi (107 m) Lidenplatten (217 m) Ijollibach (92 m) Blowing floor (377 m) 57.29 Rarnerkumme lane change, SIM corridor 1015  m above sea level M. Bietschtal I (589 m) Bietschtal (136 m) Bietschtal II (952 m) Sevistein III (407 m) Mahnkinn (385 m) Doren (172 m) 61.28 Ausserberg 932  m above sea level M. Founding (148 m) 63.45 Victoria 886  m above sea level M. Victoria (28 m) Baltschieder (101 m) Eggerberg (792 m) 64.88 Eggerberg 835  m above sea level M. Barn (133 m) Finnengraben (69 m) 67.29 Lalden 801  m above sea level M. Bathroom (80 m) 70.35 Mundbach 740  m above sea level M. Mundbach (88 m) Rhone Brig (83 m) SBB route from Lausanne - Visp 73.82 Brig 678  m above sea level M. Connection to the MGBahn to Zermatt and Andermatt – Disentis SBB Simplon Tunnel to Domodossola

The Lötschberg mountain line is the Swiss railway line ( course book field 330, before the opening of the base tunnel 300), which connects the Bernese Oberland with the Valais . The heart of the route is the 14,612 meter long Lötschberg tunnel . The route is world-famous among railway enthusiasts due to its double loop ( spiral tunnel ) on the north ramp, its many engineering structures and the south ramp in the Rhone Valley . With the opening of the Lötschberg base tunnel in 2007, it takes up a large part of the traffic between Frutigen and Brig . Since then, the mountain route has only been used by RegioExpress and freight trains that have not received a route through the base tunnel.

Location / general

The Lötschberg route with mountain route and base tunnel is the second north-south connection through the Swiss Alps alongside the Gotthard Railway . At the same time, it is considered a feeder from western German-speaking Switzerland , western Germany and eastern France to the Simplon Railway in the direction of Milan in Italy .

The starting point of the Lötschberg route is the Spiez railway junction , from there it runs in a north-south direction through the Kandertal via Frutigen , where the new base tunnel branches off, and Kandersteg to the Lötschberg tunnel to Goppenstein . From Hohtenn it turns in an easterly direction along the southern flank of the Bietschhorn massif down to Brig .

The route is 74 kilometers long and a non-stop journey on a scheduled SBB Intercity train took a total of 56 minutes in 2007 (Spiez – Brig).

history

The Lötschberg line originated as the main line of the former Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon-Bahn (today BLS AG ), which was founded in 1906 for this purpose under the name Berner Alpenbahngesellschaft Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon .

prehistory

The construction of the two main north-south railway transit axes, Gotthard and Simplon , meant that the canton of Bern was bypassed by the train connections between Germany and Italy.

Idea for a Lötschbergbahn

The canton of Bern had to use all of its federal rights to create its own transit railway. Since the Confederation, due to its financial participation in the Gotthard Railway, could not expect any financial help, Bern had to raise the funds for the construction of its own connection to the south.

In 1891 a small group of well-known personalities was granted the concession to build a railway line between Spiez and Frutigen with the option of a later extension to Valais. The former government councilor and former chief judge Wilhelm Teuscher , the spiritual father of the Lötschbergbahn, came to the conclusion in a study that this railway could continue to Kandersteg and through a peak tunnel under the Balmhorn massif to Goppenstein. From there, thanks to a leaning route, the line could be extended down into the Rhône valley near Visp to the north portal of the planned Simplon tunnel .

On July 25, 1901, the Spiez-Frutigen Railway (SFB) opened as the first stage of the Lötschberg line.

In addition to this variant through the Lötschberg, the cantonal government planned a second variant, a Wildstrubelbahn over Lenk and under the Wildstrubel into the Valais near Leukerbad .

Thanks to the assertiveness of the Pro-Lötschberg Initiative Committee, the route through the Kandertal was finally decided.

On July 27, 1906, the Berner Alpenbahn-Gesellschaft Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon (BLS) was founded, which should be responsible for the construction and operation.

On January 1, 1907, the BLS took over the Spiez-Frutigen Railway, which served as the access route.

Route of the Lötschbergbahn: upgraded line from Frutigen to Brig in Rot with a reversing loop and subsequent spiral tunnel between km 60 and 70 and the curved Lötschberg tunnel between km 75 and 90. Length of the route in km from Bern.

construction

The entire construction work on the Lötschberg route was awarded to the French building consortium Entreprise du Lötschberg and construction began on October 15, 1906 with the drilling of the north portal of the Lötschberg tunnel.

The entire mountain route was planned as a level-free full railway line. The line was designed as a single lane, but a possible double lane was considered right from the start for the track layout and the necessary preparatory work such as laying the foundations for the high-rise buildings and tunnels. The maximum gradient was set at 27 ‰ and the minimum curve radius at 300 meters.

For the construction of the line, a construction track with a gauge of 750 mm was created on both sides.

Several fatal accidents occurred during the construction of the Lötschberg route.

Also worth mentioning is the avalanche on February 29, 1908, which took place between 7 and 8 in the evening. The Gmeinlaui train caused an avalanche of dust that did not even touch the nearby hotel at the Goppenstein station. Nevertheless, the hotel, in which around 30 people sat at dinner, was literally swept away. Eleven people were killed immediately in the collapsing timber structure. They did not die from wreckage, but suffocated from the sudden air pressure caused by the avalanche of dust; they all sat facing the avalanche. All those who sat with their backs to the avalanche were at most injured by debris flying around. A twelfth person, engineer Sylva, died a few days later from injuries caused by a dropped radiator.

On July 24, 1908, a water ingress occurred in the Lötschberg tunnel, which cost 25 lives. Only three workers on this shift survived. In order to avoid further ingress of water and material, it was necessary to deviate from the originally straight advance direction of the tunnel in order to tunnel under the Kander at another point.

On December 4, 1911, engineer Hans Sieber von Worb BE had a fatal accident when he fell from Pillar II of the Lüegelkinn Viaduct. He was the BLS site manager for the Hohtenn construction lot.

On October 10, 1912, part of the incision collapsed at the Victoria Tunnel on the south ramp and tore the falsework with it. There were two fatalities.

The original plan was to open the line on March 1, 1912. However, this date had to be postponed twice due to additional work in connection with the preparatory work for a double-track expansion. On July 15, 1913, the line, electrified from the start, was put into operation with a reduced timetable. On September 18, 1913, the definitive timetable with seven through trains north-south and nine through trains south-north, four of which were international express trains, was introduced. In addition, individual trains still ran on sections of the route.

The route profile of the Lötschbergbahn. The distance between the stations was 6-7 km. The gradients of the route segments were limited to a maximum of 27 ‰.

Tunnel breakthroughs

The breakthroughs in the ramp tunnels took place as follows.

North side

• Riedschuktunnel,
• Felsenburg Tunnel II, December 28, 1910
• Ronenwald Tunnel I, September 15, 1910
• Ronenwald Tunnel II, September 30, 1910
• Rotbach Tunnel, September 9, 1910
• Hemligentunnel, November 10, 1910

South side

• Rotlau Tunnel, April 3, 1908 ¹
• Mittalgraben tunnel, March 29, 1908 ¹
• Luegjetunnel, April 5, 1908 ¹
• Hoheggtunnel, November 30th 1907 ¹
• Marchgraben tunnel, December 13, 1907 ¹
• Hohtenntunnel, March 10, 1908 ¹
• Lidenplatte tunnel, September 30, 1907 ¹
• Blasbodenentunnel, February 6, 1908 ¹
• Sevistein Tunnel I, March 17, 1908 ¹
• Mahnkinntunnel, March 29, 1908 ¹
• Dornentunnel, March 11, 1908 ¹
• Victoria Tunnel, November 5, 1907 ¹
• Mundbach Tunnel, September 28, 1907 ¹
• Stadeltunnel, November 25, 1910
• Schluchitunnel, April 8, 1911
• Bietschtal Tunnel I, August 29, 1911
• Bietschtal Tunnel II, February 21, 1911
• Sevistein Tunnel II, December 30, 1911
• Grounds tunnel, March 11, 1911
• Eggerberg Tunnel, March 24, 1911
• Bath tunnel, March 31, 1911
• Sevistein Tunnel III, October 25, 1915 ²

¹ Puncture of the service railway line

² Replacement for the Sevistein tunnels I + II damaged by mountain pressure

Construction railways

For the construction of the Lötschberg route and the Lötschberg tunnel, two temporary construction lines were operated on the north and south ramps for the transport of personnel and materials. This opened up the portals of the Lötschberg tunnel from Frutigen in the canton of Bern on the north side and from Naters in the canton of Valais on the south side. The track width of the construction railways operated by steam locomotives was 750 mm. The maximum slope 60 ‰ on the north side and 30 ‰ on the south side. This with a minimum curve radius of 50 m. While a separate line was chosen for the service railway on the north side, this largely follows the future railway line on the south side.

The high-altitude hiking trail along the southern ramp created by BLS is reminiscent of the construction railway. This follows the former construction line for longer sections, especially in the Bietsch and Baltschiedertal valleys. A construction railway steam locomotive set up at Kandersteg station also reminds of the construction railway.

North side

Site plan of the artificial development of the construction line from the Schlossweid station to km 11

The construction line built by the engineer J. Seeberger between Frutigen and the north portal of the tunnel near Kandersteg was over 15 kilometers long and overcame 429 meters in altitude.

The substructure of the construction line was completed on June 30, 1907, and on August 19 the first steam locomotive reached the tunnel portal.

Countless branches led from the construction line in the direction of the various construction sites of the future line of the main line, including in Kandergrund, Blausee-Mitholz and above the Bühlstutz.

In order to be able to overcome the great incline between Blausee and Kandersteg, several loops and daring wooden viaducts had to be created at the so-called Bühlstutz. The most impressive was the Aegerten Viaduct with a total length of 126 meters, which had a slope of 57 ‰ and a curve radius of 50 meters.

South side

The construction of the construction line on the south side was severely delayed by many objections and the groundbreaking could only take place near Naters on February 12, 1907. The lines of the 28 km long construction line with an average gradient of 30 ‰ corresponded almost exactly to the line of the planned railway line, only the many side valleys were fully retracted and their foothills bypassed for reasons of time. Nevertheless, 34 tunnels with a total length of 5.3 kilometers had to be blasted, of which 13 tunnels could later be used for the main route.

The construction work for the service railway turned out to be longer than expected, as the route on the future route resulted in several longer interruptions because many service railway tunnels were located in the tunnel cross-section of the final railway tunnels. In addition, smaller landslides often occurred during the construction of the cuttings, which affected the service railway line.

Finally in August 1908, almost two years after the excavation work began on the south portal of the tunnel, the first material train was able to drive up the entire south ramp from Naters to Goppenstein. Up until now, all of the building material had to be laboriously transported up through the narrow Lonza Gorge by mule or multi-horse carts.

Vehicle fleet and transport performance

In addition to 420 cars, the rolling stock park consisted of 32 small four-coupler steam locomotives with movable axles based on the Klien-Lindner system , which were supplied by the German company Orenstein & Koppel between June and November 1907 . The trains reached a top speed of 15 km / h and the monthly transport volume averaged 13,000 tons.

expansion

Except for the Lötschberg peak tunnel, the line was initially only expanded to a single lane. Some of the bridges and tunnels along the line were designed to be two-lane, but were not initially completely expanded or excavated. From 1976 to 1992 the Lötschberg mountain route was completely expanded to double-lane and thanks to lowering of the route, a continuous so-called SIM corridor (Simplon-Inter-Modal) for the rolling road ( piggyback traffic ) and high-cube containers could be created. However, on the four sections of Kandergrund – Blausee-Mitholz (right), Blausee-Mitholz – Felsenburg (left), Kandersteg – Goppenstein (left) and Rarnerkumme – Ausserberg (right), this can only use one of the two tracks (right / left indication) in the south direction). Likewise, the capacity for passenger transport has been massively increased.

The Lötschberg base tunnel has been connecting Frutigen with Visp since mid-2007 . This means that the first of the two “ New Alpine Railways (NEAT)” is in operation and the old Lötschberg route Frutigen – Brig is used less intensively.

future

The new base tunnel has withdrawn almost all long-distance traffic and a considerable part of the freight traffic from the previous route through the Lötschberg-Scheiteltunnel, but there are still hourly regional express trains from Bern or Spiez to Brig and vice versa, as well as freight trains over this mountain railway .

In addition, the car transport between Kandersteg and Goppenstein, which was subsidized by the federal government until 1998, will continue to exist and will replace the motorway tunnel on the national road under the Rawilpass that was planned and never built in the 1970s .

Accidents

On November 16, 1931, during the construction of protective walls against falling rocks and avalanches near Goppenstein, the pulling rope of an elevator winch came into contact with the catenary , and four workers were electrocuted .

Shortly after the Second World War, on December 19, 1947, the explosion of an ammunition dump at the Blausee-Mitholz station left nine dead, including two railway employees.
→ Main article: Mitholz explosion disaster

Damage to the track after the explosion in Mitholz

On January 7, 1958, at around 6:10 p.m., express train 141, which was traveling uphill, hit a slab of rock that had just slipped onto the track. The Ae 4/4 253 and the Z4i 830 derailed at the head of the train. The locomotive drove down the slope about 90 meters without tipping over. The mail car, however, overturned several times and tumbled down into the river bed of the Rotten. The train driver and the two postal workers were only slightly injured. The mail car, built in 1950, was demolished on the spot on January 20th. The locomotive, on the other hand, was pulled up to the main line in a complex operation on March 21, 1958 and brought in for repairs.

On February 2, 1978, the express train 385 Brig – Bern drove into an avalanche that had gone off in the Jolibach valley and largely buried the exit of the Blasboden tunnel. The leading locomotive Re 4/4 No. 183 derailed and fell from the Ijollibach bridge into the valley. The three following cars also derailed, the one following the locomotive buckled and remained lying on the bridge in a position where it was in danger of falling. The engine driver and at least one passenger were injured.

On May 17, 2006, a service train with non-working brakes escaped and after an uncontrolled journey in Dürrenast , it crashed into the construction trailer wagons on the route. Three employees on the train were killed. In order to avoid even greater damage, the service train was directed to a construction train in front of Thun.
→ Main article: Dürrenast railway accident

business

Infrastructure

BLS Netz AG owns the infrastructure for the entire route, with the exception of the Brig train station area.

Train operation

The concessions for the regional trains including RegioExpress on the entire route and also the car transport trains between Kandersteg and Goppenstein or Iselle are with BLS AG.

Long-distance traffic is completely covered by SBB .

Route description

Approach route Spiez – Frutigen

The Spiez train station is at an altitude of 628  m above sea level. M. and is the starting point (km 0) of the route kilometers of the Lötschberg route.

The approach route from Spiez to Frutigen is evenly designed with a gradient of 15 ‰.

The route first leads through the Hondricht tunnel, which was lengthened to 1709 m in 1986, up into the Kandertal . Following the Kander to the former Heustrich - Emdthal crossing station (km 5.1) at 678  m above sea level. M. , which is no longer served by the trains. At 6.8 km follows the Mülenen station ( 692  m above sea level ), where the valley station of the Niesen funicular is located right next to the train station , which goes up to 2362  m above sea level. M. high sneezing drives.

Further along the Kander follows the village of Reichenbach in Kandertal ( 706  m above sea level ) at 8.2 km . Behind Reichenbach, the railway crosses the Kander and reaches the widening Frutig Valley . At the former Wengi stop, the line was relocated and stretched to the east in 2005/2006 and is connected to a single-lane, underground access route to the Lötschberg base tunnel , which passes under Frutigen station.

At 13.5 km, Frutigen ( 779  m above sea level ) is reached. The station was modernized and redesigned before the base tunnel opened in 2007. So it was prepared for traffic through the base tunnel, because the north portal of the tunnel is located just south of the station, which is connected to the station with two access ramps. The intercity and freight trains enter the mountain here and only come to light again in Raron in Valais.

North ramp Frutigen – Kandersteg

Kanderviadukt near Frutigen

The actual mountain route begins after the Frutigen station. After the exit, it rises at 27 ‰, crosses the north portal of the base tunnel in a curved left curve and leads next to the Tellenburg ruins on the Kander Viaduct, the most photographed structure of the Lötschbergbahn. There are two bridges that span the Kandertal and the river at an average height of 28 meters. The old 265 m long viaduct is designed as a brick arched viaduct with ten openings of 20 m and one opening of 25 m. The new 285 m long viaduct for the second track was built in 1981 as a concrete beam viaduct 15 meters north of the track axis and has the same buttress spacing.

After the Kander viaduct, the former Kandergrund stop (km 17.4) at 859  m above sea level is on the right slope of the valley . M. achieved. The route then climbs further and further on the right slope of the valley and passes through the 637 m long Fürten tunnel I. Then it goes through the 19 m long Felsburg tunnel I and the 29 m long Felsburg tunnel II. After exiting the tunnel, the route changes the valley side and makes an open one Kehrschlaufe , the so-called Blauseekurve , through the whole valley up to the former station of Blausee-Mitholz (km 22.4) 974  m above sea level. M. The station building was completely destroyed in the explosion of an ammunition depot on December 19, 1947 and rebuilt in 1948.

Double loop at Blausee-Mitholz, on the left the spiral tunnel, on the right the Blauseekurve

With the same gradient as before, the route follows the mountainside in the opposite direction (south-north), passes through the 112 m long Felsburg Tunnel III and over the 76 m long Felsburg viaduct. This is followed by the 48 m long Fürten viaduct, the 510 m long Fürten tunnel II, the Fürtenfluh viaduct (24 m) and the Haltewald viaduct (40 m). Now the train dips into the 1655 m long spiral tunnel , which brings the direction of travel back into the north-south. This is followed by the 72 m long Ronenwald Viaduct, followed by the 59 and 58 m long Ronenwald Tunnels I and II, respectively. The route continues through the 38 m long Feschfluetunnel and leads to the 433 m long horizontal line of the Felsburg alternative station with a double caretaker's house at km 27.1 at 1085  m above sea level M. Then it goes back to the usual slope of 27 ‰ through the Rotbach tunnel (50 m) and then over the Rotbach bridge (96 m long). After two more tunnels, the Hemligen Tunnel (106 m) and the 1536 m long Rietschuktunnel, as well as crossing the Sarenbgrabenbrücke (70 m) and the 22 m long Lower Kander Bridge, the 842 m long horizontal line of the Kandersteg station (km 31.5, 1176  m above sea level ).

Car loading in Kandersteg

Before the construction of the railway line, Kandersteg could only be reached on foot from Valais via the Gemmi Pass or the Lötschen Pass . To the northwest of the station are the waiting rooms and loading ramps for the BLS-operated car transport trains through the Lötschberg tunnel.

Lötschberg tunnel Kandersteg – Goppenstein

The line between Kandersteg and Goppenstein was the only one that was double-tracked and operated from the start.

From Kandersteg train station, the route runs along the young Kander and the Scout stop at the Kandersteg International Scout Center after two kilometers to the north portal of the Lötschberg tunnel. There are still some sidings for car transporters here.

The Lötschberg tunnel was planned as a tunnel with a length of 13,744 meters, but had to be extended to 14,605 ​​meters due to a water ingress under the Gastern valley and the relocation of the tunnel portal in Goppenstein and Kandersteg.

See also: Lötschberg tunnel

The route reaches its greatest height at the apex of the tunnel at 1240  m above sea level. M. , the highest normal-gauge alpine cut. In addition, the canton border Bern-Wallis is passed in the tunnel.

After about 8 minutes by train in the dark (the route manager needs about seven and a half hours on foot) the south portal in Goppenstein is reached at km 48.8 at 1176  m above sea level. M.

At Goppenstein train station there is a car loading system with engineering structures because of the narrow valley.

South ramp Goppenstein – Brig

After the Goppenstein station, a gradient of 27 ‰ begins . First, the route leads along the eastern slope of the narrow Lonza Gorge and shortly after the exit over the 90 m long Lonza viaduct, then through the 268 m long Rotlaunentunnel and through the Stockgraben avalanche gallery to the Schintigrabengalerie . This is where the two lanes of the route share. The left track plunges into the Mittalgraben Tunnel II, built between 1985 and 1998, which leads 1600 m inside the mountain to the Wolfgrabenbühl Viaduct, where it meets the old route again.

The old single-lane route leads after the Schintigrabengalerie through the Innere Mittalgrabengalerie and through the 480 m long Mittalgraben Tunnel I to the short Äussere Mittalgrabengalerie, before the passage to the 431 m long Lugjetunnel. The train now passes through the Inner Spiessgrabengalerie and the 118 m long Hoheggtunnel. This is followed by the Äussere Spiessgrabengalerie and the 208 m long Marchgraben tunnel. After exiting the tunnel, you have a brief look into the Lonza Valley before the train disappears in the 1,346 m long Hohtenntunnel. In the tunnel, the route turns from south at an angle of 90 degrees to the east and meets the new route again in front of the 36 m long Wolfgrabenbühl viaduct, the tunnel of which also ends there.

From here on, the route runs in the northern slope of the Rhone Valley, the bottom of which is about 450 m lower at this point. Shortly afterwards, you reach the 500 m long horizontal line of the former crossing station and current train station Hohtenn (km 54.2) 1078  m above sea level. M. , three kilometers above the village of the same name. This is where the impressive “Lötschberger-Südrampe” high-altitude trail begins, which was set up by BLS and largely follows the route of the railway line down to Brig, partly using the route of the no longer existing construction line, including some tunnels. The path offers many views down into the valley to the Rhône, to the Valais mountain peaks opposite or to the engineering structures of the Lötschberg route and partly leads along the traditional irrigation channels, the suonen .

Since the second lane leads through the Mittalgraben tunnel II between the northern portal of the Mittalgraben tunnel and the southern portal of the Hohtenntunnel, the preparatory work from 1913 on the double lane has been preserved on the old route and you can see the tunnel floors, which have only been partially excavated. The new track is also on the Wolfgrabenbühl viaduct, unlike the rest of the route, on the mountain side.

After the Hohtenn station, a slope of 23 ‰ begins. Shortly afterwards it goes over the 123 m long Luegelkinn Viaduct, which is followed by the 107 m long Schluchitunnel. Then it goes through the 271 m long Lidenplatte tunnel, over the 97 m long Jolibach bridge to the 377 m long Blasboden tunnel. The 589 m long Bietschtal Tunnel I is immediately followed by the iron Bietschtal Bridge and the 952 m long Bietschtal Tunnel II. After a caretaker's house, two walled up tunnels can be seen, the 47 m long Sevistein Tunnel I and the 96 m long Sevistein Tunnel II. These two tunnels had to be closed in 1915 and were replaced by the 407 m long Sevistein Tunnel III. Now follows the 16 m long Mahnkinn Viaduct and the 385 m long Mahnkinn Tunnel. After the 172-meter-long Dorentunnel, the route goes into the 512-meter-long station horizon from Ausserberg (km 61.2) 932  meters above sea level. M.

From Ausserberg, the route continues with a gradient of 24 ‰ to the 36 m long board viaduct, then through the 148 m long Gründentunnel and through the 28 m short Viktoriatunnel. After the 106 m long Baltschieder bridge comes the 792 m long Eggerberg tunnel, in which the Eggerberg stop (km 67.3) is 801  m above sea level. M. begins. Below the stop you can see Visp with its Lonza industries and get a glimpse of the Mattertal opposite towards Zermatt .

A little behind Eggerberg follows the 133 m long Stadel tunnel, which is joined by the 75 m long Finnengraben viaduct and the 500 m long horizontal line of the Lalden station (km 67.3) 808.7  m above sea level. M. connect.

For the remainder of the route down to Brig, many leaning viaducts had to be created with the double- track expansion to support the route. At a gradient of 22 ‰, the Eggetli viaduct follows first, then the 80 m long Badtunnel and then the Lehnen viaducts Badtunnel, Lielten, Mundertrieste and Hutstein, followed by the 46 m long Mundbach bridge and the 88 m long Mundbach tunnel. For the next 1.6 kilometers, the Drieste Lehnen Viaducts support the route almost to the bottom of the Rhone Valley. Shortly before the final destination, the route leads over the 88 m long Rhone bridge without a gradient, then merges onto the Simplon route and ends in Brig station (km 74.4) 678  m above sea level. M.

photos

• 

  Route with the Luogelkin Viaduct near Hohtenn

• 

  The Mundbach, with the two-lane viaduct of the Lötschbergbahn and the Mundbach tunnel

• 

  The Viktoriakopftunnel, looking south-west, where the name-giver's profile is visible

• 

  The Bietschtal with the Bietschtal viaduct of the Lötschbergbahn

• 

  Train composition "Lötschberger" on the Baltschiederviadukt of the Lötschberg southern ramp

Data

• Track width: 1,435 mm
• Type of current: Alternating current 15,000 volts 16.7 Hertz
• Length of the route: 74 kilometers
• Maximum slope: 27 ‰
• Height of starting point Spiez: 630  m above sea level. M.
• Height of end point Brig: 678  m above sea level. M.
• Peak of the route in the Lötschberg tunnel: 1240  m above sea level. M.
• Opening of the Spiez – Frutigen line by the Spiez-Frutigen Railway: July 25, 1901
• Start of construction on the Frutigen – Brig line: October 15, 1906
• Takeover of the Spiez-Frutigen-Bahn by the BLS: January 1st, 1907
• Breakthrough of the Lötschberg tunnel: March 31, 1911
• The line started operating: July 15, 1913

Sources and literature

• The Lötschbergbahn. In: Newspaper of the Association of German Railway Administrations, Volume 54, No. 7 (January 24, 1914), pp. 105–109 and No. 8 (January 28, 1914), pp. 122–125.
• Karlheinz Hartung: Railways and Travel Switzerland. R. von Decker's Verlag, Heidelberg 1989, ISBN 3-7685-1289-4 .
• Patrick Belloncle: The history of the Lötschbergbahn. Les Éditions du Cabri, 1986, ISBN 2-903310-49-1 .
• Claude Jeanmaire: Lötschbergbahn under construction. Contemporary reports and photos on the construction and expansion of the Bernese Alpine Railway (BLS). Verlag Eisenbahn, Villigen 1989, ISBN 3-85649-058-2 .
• Hans G. Wägli: Swiss rail network / Réseau ferré suisse. AS Verlag, Zurich 2010, ISBN 978-3-909111-74-9 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon. In: Viktor von Röll (ed.): Encyclopedia of the Railway System . 2nd Edition. Volume 2: Building Design - Brazil . Urban & Schwarzenberg, Berlin / Vienna 1912, p.  256 .
2. ↑ Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon. In: Viktor von Röll (ed.): Encyclopedia of the Railway System . 2nd Edition. Volume 2: Building Design - Brazil . Urban & Schwarzenberg, Berlin / Vienna 1912, pp.  257 - 258.
3. ↑ Federal Council's response to interpellations on the changes in the compensation as of January 1, 1999
4. ^ Results of the accident statistics for the third five-year observation period 1928–1932. (PDF, 2.5 MB) Swiss Accident Insurance Fund, accessed on October 18, 2013 . 
5. ^ Results of the accident statistics for the sixth five-year observation period 1943–1947. (PDF, 2.3 MB) Swiss Accident Insurance Fund, accessed on October 18, 2013 . 
6. ↑ Daniel Ammann and Guido Lauper: The recovery of the Ae 4/4 253 in 1958 . In: Semaphore. Classic of the railways. Edition autumn 2010. Verlag Semaphor Hinterkappelen. ISSN  1661-576X
7. ↑ Spelling according to Hans G. Wägli: Rail network Switzerland / Réseau ferré suisse - rail profile Switzerland CH + / Le rail suisse en profile CH +. Third, updated and completely revised edition, AS Verlag, Zurich 2010, ISBN 978-3-909111-74-9 . The official spelling according to the national map of Switzerland is "Jolibach" today.
8. ↑ WH van den Dool: Express 385 runs in an avalanche . The accident on the Lötschbergbahn of February 2, 1978. In: EisenbahnGeschichte . German Society for Railway History. No. 63 , 2014, p. 66-71 .
9. ^ Walter von Andrian: Fatal brake failure in BLS construction train . In: Swiss Railway Review . No. 7/2006 . Minirex, ISSN  1022-7113 , p. 330-332 .

Web links

Commons : Lötschbergbahn  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Website of the BLS Lötschbergbahn AG
• Private page about the Lötschberg route by Bruno Lämmli
• Pictures and text accompanying the BLS by Markus Seeger