Board Of Directors Approves Titlis Project

The Board of Directors of Titlis Bergbahnen approved the TITLIS generation project at its meeting. This means that the first construction work can start on Central Switzerland's highest excursion mountain.

The Titlis project includes the new construction of the mountain station and the expansion of the directional beam tower and the tunnel between the tower and the mountain station. The world-famous Basel architects Herzog & de Meuron are behind the master plan. Together with the specialized planners, the architects have brought the project to completion over the past five years.

Permits

With the exception of the approval for the "New mountain station building" sub-project, which will start in 2025, the Titlis Bergbahnen have received all approvals. The approval for the mountain station has been confirmed by the authorities, since the consultation process has been completed and all objections have been settled.

Start of the preparatory work

"The start of construction is a milestone in the Titlis project for the Engelberg mountain railway company," says Hans Wicki, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Titlis Bergbahnen. The first set-up and preparatory work as well as various material and construction machine transports will take place next week. The construction timetable provides for the snow groomer hall to be built as a sub-project of the tower in the summer/autumn of 2023, for the flushing bore to take place between the Ice Flyer valley station and the Titlis, and for the new construction of line 2 to begin. For the overall project, the Titlis Bergbahnen are expecting a construction period of six years and completion in 2029. Operation should be guaranteed during the entire period.

Investment in a sustainable future

The Titlis Bergbahnen business model is based on national and international tourism. With the lighthouse project, the core business is to be secured for the next generation in the long term and the entire destination is to be further strengthened. Not only does the company benefit from the investment, but the entire value chain in the monastery village of Engelberg and in Central Switzerland. In addition to the architectural and aesthetic upgrading of the buildings and facilities, the Titlis project can above all massively reduce emissions as well as energy and heat requirements.

It is becoming apparent that the realization of the Titlis project - due to the corona pandemic, the consequences of the Ukraine war and other (global) economic factors - will be around 20% more expensive than calculated five years ago. This increase in costs is due to the accrued inflation, delivery bottlenecks and new requirements and findings.

Positive business development November 22 – April 23

From the summer of 2022, the international travel market recovered noticeably. More and more international guests returned to the Titlis. The first half of the 2022/23 financial year makes us even more confident. With 568,070 first-time entries, the Titlis Bergbahnen are 18% above the previous year's value and only -5% behind the 5-year average (excluding the Corona years 2020 and 2021). The international individual guests, for whom the Titlis Bergbahnen were able to set an all-time record, developed particularly well.