Chur: 10-Seater Gondola Replaces Feeder On Brambruesch

The Chur Bergbahnen (BCD) has procured the replacement system to Brambrüesch from Garaventa AG Rotkreuz. From the 2026/27 winter season, the modern 10-seater gondola will run via the new Fülian middle station to Chur's local mountain and will cost CHF 15.1 million without stations.

In June 2021, the people of Chur agreed to freeing up the Stadthalle area for the valley station of the new cable car. In May 2019, an investment loan of CHF 24.4 million (+/- 25 percent) was approved for the replacement system of the Brambrüeschbahn. In addition to the railway electromechanics that have now been procured, this also includes the station buildings in the valley, in the middle and on the mountain. BCD intends to finance the new panorama restaurant on Fülian with its own funds, including through the participation capital of the suppliers amounting to 7 percent of the order volume.

Tight cost ceiling

The financial challenge when planning the Brambrüeschbahn is the long period of time from the investment calculation in 2017 to the commissioning of the railway at the end of 2026. Originally, 12 million were budgeted for the railway electromechanics. In order to achieve the greatest possible noise reduction and enable section-by-section operation up to the middle station, there are additional costs of around 1.7 million. The BCD is currently planning the three stations. Overall, the cost ceiling of 24.4 million (+/- 25%) must not be exceeded. The building commission and the board of directors of the BCD, in which the city of Chur and the municipality of Churwalden are also represented, unanimously voted in favor of the choice of Garaventa AG. Garaventa AG belongs to the Austrian Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group. The market leader is based in Wolfurt in Vorarlberg. The complex public bidding process took a total of six months.

Elaboration of planning approval application

After the award of the railway electromechanics, the preliminary projects in the areas of spatial planning and environmental compatibility are currently being completed in addition to the station buildings. The planning approval application will then be prepared by the first quarter of 2023. The planning approval procedure (PGV) is managed by the Federal Office of Transport (FOT) in Bern. The BAV is also the concessionaire for the replacement system of the Brambrüeschbahn and issues the building permit. Planning approval is expected by early 2025. After the town hall was demolished in the same year, the railway was built and opened in December 2026.

An important pillar of the new middle station will also be the panorama restaurant with a view of the Chur Rhine Valley and the Schanfigg. As part of the Brambrüesch master plan, the BCD is planning further infrastructure to strengthen the offer on Brambrüesch. In addition to the optimization of the alpine bike park and the winter security of the toboggan run, a bike infrastructure for families, a water and nature playground, a slide path and the replacement of the TschuTschu cable car from the mountain station to the Brambus center are planned together with the municipality of Churwalden and IG Brambrüesch.

The key data of the new railway:

• Type of cable car: 10-seater Godenl cable car (orbital cable car)
• Routing: Chur - Fulian - Brambrüesch
• Capacity: 1,400 people per hour
• Journey time Chur-Brambrüesch: approx. 9 minutes
• Horizontal length: about 2 kilometers
• Height difference: approx. 1'000 m
• Investment costs: Electromechanics 15.1 million
• Total investment costs: CHF 24.4 million (+/- 25%), including the dismantling of existing systems
• Fülian middle station (1,350 m above sea level) with panoramic restaurant: can be reached in 5 minutes
• Financing of the panoramic restaurant by BCD outside of the investment loan