Development Of Braunwald, Two Options Being Considered

The government council has taken note of the final report on the participation in the development of Braunwald. Two variants have emerged, which are now being clarified in detail.

In December 2020, an external consultant was commissioned to carry out a voluntary participation process for the future development of Braunwald. The aim was to listen to the stakeholders concerned about the extensive clarifications on the development of Braunwald that had been developed in the project renewal of the Braunwald feeder road over the past two years. In the middle of 2021, the government council should be able to make a decision on the future procedure in the planning and implementation of the future development of Braunwald in the knowledge of all opinions and views.

After participation and based on the technical possibilities, the final report recommends only pursuing the following two options:

Variant A: New construction of a 10-person single-cable gondola lift

• New construction of a 10-person single-cable gondola lift, mainly for passenger transport and light goods
• Upgrading the existing funicular railway as a railway for heavy and bulky goods as well as passenger transport in a reduced manner (primarily for emergency operation)

Variant B: New construction of the funicular on the existing route with a new mountain station

• Construction of the funicular on the existing route
• New construction of the mountain station to the west or east of the current station

When pursuing variant B, it must also be shown how people are to be transported to the Hüttenberg or Grotzenbüel.

Street off the table

Because all other variants, including the road development from Urnerboden, were no longer pushed by any stakeholder group, they will not be pursued any further. Only the two variants mentioned should be further elaborated until they have been clarified to a comparable depth and can be compared with each other according to all relevant assessment criteria. These further clarifications will take at least a year.

Existing railway must be upgraded

A central point of these clarifications will be the extent to which the necessary upgrading of the existing funicular has to fail in order to be able to ensure fail-safe operation on the one hand, without generating costs on the other hand, which are incurred when a decision is made to build a gondola and a «funicular light» could arise twice. The most urgent task of those responsible for the project is now to define the scope of this upcoming upgrade.