Milestone For Pilatus-Bahnen: Green Light For 2 Car Operation
It's a project of the century - and the renovation of the Pilatus cogwheel railway worth 55 million Swiss francs is turning onto the last straight. The Federal Office of Transport recently officially granted the Pilatus Railways the operating license for their new cogwheel railway composition - after an intensive examination. A crucial milestone has thus been reached.
The new railcars, the three new custom-made track turners and the associated control system have been put through their paces by the Pilatus crew since the delivery of the first two railcars last year and in June of this year: initially with test drives at off-peak times and during the Night, then again and again when driving during operation
Ongoing improvements by on-site specialists
Due to the close cooperation of all suppliers and technical managers on site, the challenging schedule could be met. Stadler Rail, for example, permanently stationed employees in Alpnachstad for the duration of the tests so that the project team could be reached at all times. Optimizations of this kind are common for custom-made products such as the steepest cog railway in the world.
Challenges arose, for example, due to the unpredictable weather on the mountain or because of the enormously steep terrain with an incline of up to 48 percent. In addition, during the implementation, great attention is paid to nature that is worthy of protection and the historic building fabric on the mountain and in the valley. At the same time, the cog railway employees involved in the project were heavily involved in regular railway operations during the summer months.
“Since the start of our project of the century, our team has done really great things here. I am delighted that we are on course - and I would like to thank our employees and our suppliers for their enormous commitment," says Godi Koch, CEO of Pilatus-Bahnen, commenting on this important milestone.
The Federal Office of Transport has not only tested and officially approved the new rolling stock, but also the operation in double traction. This means that in the future two cars will be attached to each other with only one driver: in on the road. A total of eight of the new cars will be used as double compositions at 35-minute intervals from the 2023 season. What strikes you at first glance about the new railcar, designed by Thomas Küchler from Obwalden, are the large glass fronts on all sides, which will in future give passengers a 360-degree panoramic view. At the same time, the new rolling stock also scores in terms of sustainability: when driving downhill, they convert braking energy into electrical energy, which reduces the electricity requirement by 30 percent compared to today, which is of enormous importance in the current situation.
Until the official start of the new rack railway on May 18, 2023, further important milestones are to be reached with the delivery of the remaining railcars and the acceptance of the newly installed dispatcher assistance system. The historic cars will be in use until the end of the current season on November 20th. Two of them then remain in the Pilatus Bahnen depot for special trips. Another will later be on display in the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne.
