Steepest funicular railway: world record set in Switzerland (VIDEO)
STOOS, Switzerland -- The €44.6m Schwyz-Stoos funicular (Standseilbahn Schwyz-Stoos in German), can climb a 110% gradient - at the Alpine resort of Stoos in central Switzerland, thus setting the new world record for the Steepest funicular railway, according to the World Record Academy. Photo: The world's steepest funicular railway was inaugurated in Switzerland by Doris Leuthard, president of the Swiss Confederation. The construction of the infrastructure cost 52 million Swiss francs (44.6 million euros). (enlarge photo)
Ascending from the valley floor a to the tiny resort town of Stoos--elevation: 4,300 feet, at a clip of 10 meters per second which is about 22 miles per hour, the funicular's distinctive barrel-shaped carriages travel along a 5,643-foot track.
It almost goes vertical with a maximum gradient of 110 percent, which is a 48-degree angle.
The GUINNESS WORLD RECORD (TM) for the Highest railway station, set by The Tanggula Railway Station in Tibet, which is the highest in the world at 5,068 m (16,627 ft) above sea level. The unstaffed station on the Qingzang railway opened on 1 July 2006 and has a 1.25-km-long (0.77-mile) platform.
GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS (TM) also recognized the world record for the Highest railway bridge, set by The Najiehe Railway Bridge in Liuchangxiang, Guizhou, China, with a deck approximately 310 m (1,017 ft) above the original level of the great Wujiang River and 259 m above the full level of a reservoir formed from a downstream dam. The steel arch has a span of 352 m (1,155 ft).
Specially constructed cylindrical carriages have been used to ensure that passengers can stay upright on the incline.
The railway runs from the town of Schwyz up 110m (328ft) to the car-free Alpine village of Stoos.
The Stoos Bahn took 14 years to build - two years longer than scheduled - at a cost of 52m Swiss francs (£40m; $53m).
In mountainous Switzerland, where children regularly use cable cars to get to school, the line will connect communities as well as provide a new tourist attraction, reports the BBC's Imogen Foulkes. Should potential passengers feel fainthearted, they can be reassured that the journey lasts just four minutes.
