Wengen – Männlichen cable car

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The Wengen – Männlichen aerial cableway (LWM) is an aerial tramway in the canton of Bern in Switzerland . It leads from Wengen to the 2343 m high Männlichen .

history

The first thoughts on building a cable car appeared in Wengen as early as the 1930s. The Second World War initially prevented implementation. In 1949 an initiative commission was formed to investigate the question of implementation. On March 25, 1950, an application for the grant of a license was submitted. On February 14, 1951, this request was approved for 20 years. On September 15, 1952, after initial financial difficulties, the company was founded. Work started in August 1953. The shell of the two station buildings and the supporting pillars were already in place in December. And already in May 1954 the railway, operated by Ludwig von Roll'schen Eisenwerke AG, Bern, was up and running, ready for approval. Scheduled operations began on June 5, 1954. The first technical modification took place in 1963. The cabins have been replaced by larger ones. In 1973 the next expansion was due. In 1986 the valley station was extensively renovated. In 1990 the concession was extended to 2010. In 1992 the entire technology of the railway was renewed.

On the night of February 22nd to 23rd, 1999 , the valley station was hit by an avalanche. The department for natural hazards then no longer allowed operation at the same location. The board of directors of the LWM decided on April 14, 1999 to rebuild the valley station outside the avalanche zone near the village center. The Garaventa company, which merged with Doppelmayr in 2002 , was commissioned with this new building . In the same year, on December 3rd, the first cable car was able to go back to the Männlichen.

Technical specifications

The data refer to the new building from 1999

  • Horizontal distance between the two stations: 1656.9 meters
  • Altitude of the valley station: 1282.5 meters
  • Elevation of the mountain station: 2229.9 meters
  • Difference in altitude: 947.5
  • Length of the carriageway: 1910 meters
  • Medium gradient: 70.8%
  • Travel speed: 10.0 m / s
  • Delivery rate in each direction: 860 people / h

gallery

  • View of Wengen in winter

  • Mountain station. In the background the Männlichen summit

  • Valley station

Web link

LWM website in German, English

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Festschrift for the 50th anniversary in 2004.