Serfaus: The New Komperdellbahn Is Open

The time has finally come: the Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis ski area opened the winter season and with it the new Komperdellbahn officially made its rounds for the first time. The largest construction project in the history of Seilbahn Komperdell GmbH was successfully completed at the start of the season. And that means it's high time for a test drive!
“The schedule was really tight,” says Reinhard Walch. “On April 16, 2023 we had our last day of operation of the 2022/23 winter season. Immediately after the end of operations, the gondolas of the old Komperdellbahn were disengaged and the excavators arrived the next day. Then it was said: Full commitment until the day of acceptance by the authorities on December 6th, 2023.” The marketing manager of Seilbahn Komperdell GmbH has been part of the mountain railway team for 16 years and has followed the renovation throughout the entire construction period on his construction blog. Now it's time for the big finale: a test ride with the new train!

To ensure that the new construction of the Komperdellbahn was even possible, the construction phases were divided over two years. Diligent readers of Reini's construction blog already know: the new route and the shell of the intermediate station were implemented in the summer of 2022. In the summer of 2023, the mountain and valley stations were demolished and rebuilt, as well as the intermediate station was completed. You can read all the highlights again here.

SPACE WONDERS

The new forecourt, between the Alpkopfbahn and Komperdellbahn, shows that the major renovation was worth it: there is now much more space for arriving skiers. “Because the valley station was built into the slope, the whole place seems much more spacious.” But the real miracle of space is hidden underground - and that's why we first go down one floor by escalator before the new Komperdellbahn takes us comfortably Transported towards the mountain.

There are two floors underground: one is the Sport Patscheider ski depot and service center and on the lowest floor there is a large warehouse and employee rooms. The “CheckIn” service center has two special features: On the one hand, you don’t rely on self-service in the ski depot, but are served. On the other hand, personal equipment can be safely stored here overnight - using the boxes specially developed by Sport Patscheider in which shoes, helmets and even gloves are dried. This means you can swap your street shoes for pre-warmed and dry ski equipment the next day. How practical!

THE LAST OK AT 9 PM

You then go up using the escalator and you are standing in front of the entrance to the new Komperdellbahn. The valley station is elegantly clad with wooden slats, and LED displays provide all information about ascents and descents as well as operating times. “These displays gave us a bit of a headache before the official acceptance,” remembers Reini. The team at Seilbahn Komperdell GmbH was not nervous before the final inspection and approval of the cable car by the cable car authority. “So much happens in the run-up to the acceptance that this final act almost becomes a formality. Those responsible at the authority weren't just there for one day, but arrived a week beforehand and made recommendations on where adjustments still needed to be made. On the big day itself - for us it was December 6th - they checked everything again from A to Z. At nine o'clock in the evening we received the final go-ahead for driving."

GET IN VERY COMFORTABLE

There are currently 104 cabins on the rope at the Komperdellbahn. This can transport 3,000 people per hour. “But this is not the final expansion yet,” says Reini. “We can increase the transport capacity to up to 3,500 people per hour.” It is also easy to get into the modern cabins with a stroller or wheelchair. “The cabins move through the station very slowly and the skis are taken into the cabins. This eliminates the hassle of putting skis in the ski basket, which in the past often caused a short traffic jam when getting in.

SPECIAL ORDER FOR SERFAUS

“The cabins themselves are custom-made,” says Reini as he sits down on one of the ten seats in the panoramic cabins. “The Doppelmayr company developed it especially for us in collaboration with the Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis mountain railways. The special thing about them is that they are very spacious because the skis can be placed on the side next to the seat. This means you can get out very comfortably at the intermediate station, even if you have made yourself comfortable in one of the rear seats of the cabin.” In addition, each cabin offers an impressive panoramic view thanks to the complete glazing. “It's clouded by fog today, but if you drive up here in good weather - or rather float! “It’s crazy,” says Reini happily.
Incidentally, he is not alone in his enthusiasm for the new lift: as soon as he got off at the intermediate station, the Baublog writer met two skiers who immediately recognized him as regular readers. “As regular guests in Serfaus for years, we are of course happy to be able to follow such a major renovation,” say the two men and praise the new railway.

MUCH UNDERSTANDING AND GREAT PRAISE

“So far we have only received enthusiastic reactions,” says Reini. “The support in the region and from the guests was also clearly felt in the second construction phase in summer 2023. We were a bit worried that the renovation and the associated restrictions would be negatively received by our summer guests. That's why we provided intensive information in advance and always kept our guests up to date throughout the construction period. Of course, the Komperdellbahn couldn't run in the summer, so the operating hours of the Alpkopfbahn were extended in order to equalize the flow of guests. In addition, the Königsleithebahn was put into operation. We have built the wooden ball path from the Seealm Hög down to the valley especially for families. We wanted to motivate the children above all to hike into the valley. That worked out great.”

STOP: STOP

The intermediate station, which is a new addition to the route, houses not only the train station where the cabins are housed during the night, but also the control center of the new railway. “The Komperdellbahn is equipped with the newly developed AURO system – one of the first railways in Austria. The AURO system would make it possible to operate the entire system with just one person here at the headquarters in the intermediate station. Everything in the mountain and valley stations is monitored using cameras and sensors,” explains Reini. “Of course that is not our goal, we want to offer our guests the best possible service. But if there are staff shortages, for example if someone is sick, you could continue operations with just one employee and the safety of the passengers would of course still be guaranteed.”
Reini's work colleagues who are currently on duty at the headquarters also confirm this. They also say that the lift - although it has only been open to skiers for a few days - has already had well over 200 hours of travel time. “We also ran the track at night, carried out braking and load tests and tested it in all weather conditions – including ice. “We checked to make sure the pulleys and rope didn’t freeze,” the two say.

FINAL SPRINT WITH 100 CONSTRUCTION WORKERS

As we drive from the intermediate station to the mountain station, Reini reports on the last days of construction: “There was always a lot of hustle and bustle on the construction site, especially at the end. Up to 100 people worked together on the Komperdellbahn on peak days.” The list of companies involved is correspondingly long: over 60 – mostly regional partner companies – were involved in the major construction site.
Once at the mountain station, Reini remembers back to August when he was led through the shell of the building to discuss the future guest guidance system: “At times I was totally disoriented and amazed at what it could look like in the end. But now everything has been thought through and makes sense.” Guests can easily get from the exit to the ski school or to the Kinderschneealm via an escalator or elevator or are guided through the new mountain station building to the next cable car. “Overall, the new Komperdellbahn will certainly bring an improvement to the entire region,” Reini is convinced. “And when we now hear how much fun the guests and locals are having with the new cable car, then the project has definitely been worth it.”

In Numbers

• 10.5: It takes just over ten minutes to travel from the valley to the mountain station on the new cable car.
• 20: A total of 20 supports support the heavy steel cable of the Komperdellbahn.
• 300 reliable partners: More than 300 employees were employed in total on the construction, not including mountain railway employees.
• 2.6: The route of the new Komperdellbahn measures two and a half kilometers. The route has been extended a bit due to the newly built intermediate station.