Kandahar at St Anton am Arlberg A funicular formerly connected the town of St. Anton am Arlberg with the Gampen ski area to the north west of the centre. Opened in the 1920’s to serve the Gampen ski area, and especially the Kandahar ski run, the line had been refurbished in 1965, but could not cope with the large number of skiers who flocked to the area in the early 1970’s. The line commenced a short bus ride from the tow, opposite the railway station, and rose up the mountainside to the Gampen ski field where other lifts and tows took skiers further up the many slopes in the area. In order to reduce the number of people queuing for transport up the mountainside, in advance of the 2001 FIS World Championships, major new construction work was done in and around St. Anton. A new cabin lift with 8-seat gondolas was constructed from Nasserein to Gampern, and a new high-speed 4-person chairlift, The Fang, was built from the east end of the town to the same area. This allowed the Kandahar funicular, which was worn out, to be closed after Easter 2000. The funicular was demolished, as was the talstation. The site of this building was landscaped, and subsequently built upon. At the same time, a new railway station was constructed on the south side of the town, away from the ski slopes, so people arriving by train now have a bus ride into the town centre. The bergstation, however, survives, having become a guest house, Haus Murr. The funicular was operated by Arlberger Bergbahnen AG, and was a counterbalanced line with two cars, each having a crush capacity of 120 people. Little remains today on the mountainside, the Kandahar ski run having been widened over the former trackbed after the line was removed. In summer, however, the route can be traced from the replacement cable car.

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updated 1st May 2006
Design and © Ron Ferguson