Thunersee–Beatenberg Funicular
Funicular railway in the canton of Bern, Switzerland
title: "Thunersee–Beatenberg Funicular" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["funicular-railways-in-switzerland", "bernese-oberland", "1200-mm-gauge-railways-in-switzerland", "transport-in-the-canton-of-bern", "railway-lines-opened-in-1889", "former-water-powered-funicular-railways-converted-to-electricity"] description: "Funicular railway in the canton of Bern, Switzerland" topic_path: "geography/switzerland" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunersee–Beatenberg_Funicular" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Funicular railway in the canton of Bern, Switzerland ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox rail line"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Thunersee–Beatenberg Funicular |
| other_name | Drahtseilbahn Thunersee-Beatenberg, Beatenbergbahn, Drahtseilbahn Thunersee-St. Beatenberg |
| image | 2005-Beatenberg-Standseilbahn.jpg |
| image_width | 250px |
| caption | car (2005) |
| type | Funicular |
| status | In operation |
| start | "Beatenbucht (Beatenbergbahn)" |
| end | Beatenberg |
| stations | 3 (including Birchi) |
| open | |
| event1label | Concession |
| event1 | 1887, 1967 |
| owner | Niederhornbahn AG (since 2014); Previous names: Drahtseilbahn Thunersee-St. Beatenberg (1889–1906), Drahtseilbahn Thunersee-St. Beatenberg (Beatenberbahn) (1906–1947), Drahtseilbahn Thunersee-Beatenberg (Beatenbergbahn) (1947–2010); Beatenbergbahn AG (2010–2014) |
| operator | Verkehrsbetriebe STI |
| stock | 2 for 90 passengers each |
| linelength | 1689 m |
| tracks | 1 with passing loop |
| gauge | |
| electrification | 1911 (water counterbalancing before) |
| maxincline | 40% |
| speed | 4.8 m/s |
| elevation_m | 1120 |
| map_state | collapsed |
| coordinates | |
| website | niederhorn.ch |
| :: |
| box_width = | name = Thunersee–Beatenberg Funicular | other_name = Drahtseilbahn Thunersee-Beatenberg, Beatenbergbahn, Drahtseilbahn Thunersee-St. Beatenberg | color = | logo = | logo_width = | image = 2005-Beatenberg-Standseilbahn.jpg | image_width = 250px | caption = car (2005) | type = Funicular | system = | status = In operation | locale = | start = "Beatenbucht (Beatenbergbahn)" | end = Beatenberg | stations = 3 (including Birchi) | routes = | daily_ridership = | open = | event1label = Concession | event1 = 1887, 1967 | event2label = | event2 = | event3label = | event3 = | close = | owner = Niederhornbahn AG (since 2014); Previous names: Drahtseilbahn Thunersee-St. Beatenberg (1889–1906), Drahtseilbahn Thunersee-St. Beatenberg (Beatenberbahn) (1906–1947), Drahtseilbahn Thunersee-Beatenberg (Beatenbergbahn) (1947–2010); Beatenbergbahn AG (2010–2014) | operator = Verkehrsbetriebe STI | character = | depot = | stock = 2 for 90 passengers each | linelength = 1689 m | tracklength = | tracks = 1 with passing loop | gauge = | minradius = | electrification = 1911 (water counterbalancing before) | maxincline = 40% | racksystem = | speed = 4.8 m/s | elevation_m = 1120 | map = | map_state = collapsed | coordinates = | website = niederhorn.ch
The Thunersee–Beatenberg Funicular (; TBB) is a funicular in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. It links a jetty, at Beatenbucht in the municipality of Sigriswil and on the shores of Lake Thun, to the village of Beatenberg, situated on the plateau above at 1120 m above sea level.
At Beatenbucht, the funicular connects with shipping services, run by BLS AG, and bus services, run by Verkehrsbetriebe STI. Both shipping and bus services connect Beatenbucht to Interlaken and Thun. At Beatenberg, the funicular connects with the Seilbahnen Beatenberg-Niederhorn, a gondola lift which runs to the summit of the Niederhorn.
History
The funicular was built in 1888 and 1889, and opened on 21 June 1889, by the Drahtseilbahn Thunersee–Beatenberg company. The funicular was converted to electric operation in 1911, and the following year it commenced year round operation. The onward connection to the summit of the Niederhorn by cable car was first opened, by a separate company, in 1946.
The line was completely reconstructed between October 2004 and July 2005, and new modern style cars were provided. In 2014, the funicular and cable car companies were merged, to create the current Niederhornbahn AG company. In the autumn of 2016, a new motor and electronic control system was installed.
Previous company names:
- 1889–1906: Drahtseilbahn Thunersee-St. Beatenberg
- 1906–1947: Drahtseilbahn Thunersee-St. Beatenberg (Beatenberbahn)
- 1947–2010: Drahtseilbahn Thunersee-Beatenberg (Beatenbergbahn)
- 2010–2014: Beatenbergbahn AG
Operation
The funicular has a length of 1689 m and overcomes a vertical distance of 556 m with an average gradient of 34.6% and a maximum of 40%. The line comprises a single track of gauge with a central passing loop. There is one intermediate stop, at Birchi.
The two modern style cars each accommodate 90 passengers and operate at either 3.2 m/s or 4.8 m/s, depending on demand. The journey time is either 10 or 6 minutes, depending on the speed selected, with cars operating every 20 minutes or more frequently. The line has a theoretical maximum capacity of 700 people per hour.
The line is owned by the Niederhornbahn AG and managed by the Verkehrsbetriebe STI.
Gallery
Thunersee–Beatenberg Funicular 2018-09-05 18.55.36.jpg|lower station seen from the lake (2018) Beatenbergbahn Postcard.jpg|Funicular with Niesen in the background (postcard sent 1933) Drahtseilbahn Thunersee-St.Beatenberg 1889.jpg|share certificate of 1889 for Drahtseilbahn Thunersee-St.Beatenberg
References
References
- Richard Green (2007). ''Railways in the Berner Oberland - Part 3''. ''Today's Railways Europe: Issue 134: February 2007''. Platform 5 Publishing Ltd.
- "Thunersee Beatenberg Bahn". Funimag.
- "Company". Niederhornbahn AG.
- "Timetable". Niederhornbahn AG.
- (([[Swiss Federal Council]])). "Botschaft des Bundesrates an die Bundesversammlung, betreffend Konzession für eine Drahtseilbahn vom Thunersee bei Merligen nach Beatenberg. (Vom 2. Dezember 1887.)". [[Federal Gazette (Switzerland).
- (([[Swiss Federal Council]])). "Botschaft des Bundesrates an die Bundesversammlung über die Erteilung einer neuen Konzession für die Standseilbahn Thunersee-Beatenberg (Vom 30. Januar 1967)". [[Federal Gazette (Switzerland).
- (([[Swiss Federal Council]])). (1887-12-17). "Message du conseil fédéral à l'assemblée fédérale concernant la concession d'un chemin de fer funiculaire du lac de Thoune, près Merligen, au Beatenberg. (Du 2 décembre 1887.)". [[Federal Gazette (Switzerland).
- (([[Swiss Federal Council]])). (1967-03-02). "Message du Conseil fédéral à l'Assemblée fédérale concernant l'octroi d'une nouvelle concession au chemin de fer funiculaire du lac de Thoune au Beatenberg (Du 30 janvier 1967)". [[Federal Gazette (Switzerland).
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::