Furka–Oberalp-Bahn
| Furka–Oberalp railway | |||
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A train on the Oberalp Pass
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| Technical | |||
| Track gauge | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) | ||
| Electrification | 11,000 V 16.7 Hz AC | ||
| Rack system | Abt | ||
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The Furka–Oberalp railway (German: Furka–Oberalp-Bahn) is a narrow gauge mountain railway in Switzerland with a gauge of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in). It runs in the Graubünden, Uri and Canton of Valais. Since January 1, 2003 it is part of the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn when it merged with the BVZ Zermatt-Bahn.
The line begins in Disentis in the canton of Graubünden, where there is a connection to the Rhätische Bahn (RhB). It then runs over the Oberalp Pass to Andermatt in the canton of Uri. Through the Furka Base Tunnel it reaches the Goms District area and Brig in the canton of Valais. In Brig, it connects to the BVZ Zermattbahn since 1930.
The first half of the line was opened by the French company Brig-Furka-Disentis Bahn (BFD) in 1914. Trains could go as far as Gletsch, starting from Brig. Construction of the second part over the Furka Pass and Oberalp Pass was well under way when the war situation in France halted all works by 1915. The company lingered on, but was finally bankrupt in 1923. Two years later the railway had a new owner, called Furka-Oberalp-Bahn, founded by the cantons and the neighbouring railway companies. Construction work resumed, now with important federal funds, and on 4 July 1926 regular through services between Brig and Disentis could start. RhB trains reached Disentis under electric traction in 1922.
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