Dorfbahn at Serfaus
Komperdellbahnen Serfaus GmbH
One of the strangest funiculars in Austria is at Serfaus,
in the Tirol Alps to the south of Landeck. The Dorfbahn runs
totally underground, under the Hauptstrasse, from a series of
car parks on the lower end of the town, up to the ski lifts
at the opposite end.
In the early 1970’s, Serfaus became a pedestrian area,
with visitors cars confined to car parking at the lower,
eastern end of the town. With the rapid growth in winter
sports, however, the bus service connecting the car park
and the ski lift rapidly became overwhelmed. Following a
local referendum, a decision was made to construct an alternative
transportation method. Built in 1984, the Dorfbahn removes large
numbers of vehicles from the narrow streets of the town, providing a
quick and quiet route to and from the ski slopes and walking areas.
The line is 1,280 metres long, and is operated by a single vehicle,
which is supported on rubber air cushions instead of the usual steel
wheels. There are no rails at floor level, the coach being guided by a
single rail at ankle height along one side. The traction and return cables
run along the same side, through pulleys at waist height. Electric for
light and heat is provided through trolley wires above the cabin.
The tunnel was built on the cut-and-cover method, and was completed in
just under 12 months. The tunnel is 3.24 metres wide and 3.52 metres high.
Each of the stations – Parkplatz, Kirche, Raika (part of the Raffeisenbank)
and Seilbahn, are underground, and the platforms are equipped with CCTV and
platform-edge doors, which line up with doors on the cabin. The vehicle itself
has a maximum speed of 11 metres / second, and room for 270 passengers in two
compartments; total journey time is about 5 minutes. The cabin was constructed
by Swoboda, in Oberweis, whilst the rest of the funicular was made by Waagner in Wien.
The funicular rises only 18.6 metres along its length, but
removes hundreds of bus journeys through the town. In order
to encourage people to use the service, the funicular operates
free of charge. At the upper end, the funicular stops next to the
entrance to the Kölnerbahn cable car.
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