Riffelalp tram
| Riffelalp tram | |||
|---|---|---|---|
The tram at Riffelhalp Resort station on the loop. In background is the Matterhorn
|
|||
| Overview | |||
| Type | Tramway, Mountain railway | ||
| Locale | Zermatt, Switzerland | ||
| Termini |
Riffelalp Riffelalp Resort |
||
| Stations | 2 | ||
| Operation | |||
| Opened | 13 July 1899 | ||
| Closed | 30 September 1960 | ||
| Reopened | 15 June 2001 | ||
| Owner | Riffelalptram (RiT) | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 675.31 m (0.420 mi) | ||
| Number of tracks | Single track | ||
| Track gauge | 800 mm (2 ft 7 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Electrification | 550 V / 40 Hz, 3-phase (until 1961) 80 V / 400 Ah (since 2001) |
||
| Highest elevation | 2,222 m (7,290.0 ft) | ||
| Maximum incline | 5% | ||
|
|||
The Riffelalp tram (German: Riffelalptram, RiT) is a high altitude tramway line located in the Swiss canton of Valais near the resort of Zermatt. The line links the Riffelalp Resort to Riffelalp station, on the Gornergrat railway, and via that line to Zermatt and beyond.
The Riffelalp tram is the highest tram line in Europe.
The Riffelalp Grand Hotel, the predecessor of today's Riffelalp Resort, was opened by Alexander Seiler in 1884. In 1898, the Gornergrat railway was opened, linking Zermatt to the summit of the Gornergrat. The line included a station called Riffelalp, but this was situated some distance from the resort.
In order to provide better access to the station, the hotel built the Riffelalp tram. The line opened on 13 July 1899, one year after the opening of the Gornergrat railway. The original track was 480 metres (1,570 ft) long and electrified, using a twin overhead line carrying a three-phase ac supply at 550 volts. The tram operated in the summer months only.
During the night of 14 February 1961, the Riffelalp Grand Hotel was destroyed in a fire. The original tram vehicles survived the fire, but without traffic from the hotel, tram service was suspended, it had last run on September 30, 1960 The vehicles were taken to Zermatt for storage, and the line remained closed for the next 40 years.
In 1998, work started on the construction of the new Riffelalp Resort on the site of the old grand hotel. As part of this reconstruction, the tram line was relayed on its original route. The wooden bodies of the original cars had deteriorated in storage, whilst modern safety standards precluded the reintroduction of the original three-phase supply. The original cars were therefore rebuilt with replacement bodies and using battery power. The new line was opened on 15 June 2001.
...
Wikipedia