Switzerland launches the world's steepest railway

With a slope of nearly 48 degrees, Schwyz-Stoos in Switzerland is currently the world's steepest towing cable.

The Schwyz-Stoos railway line (German name Standseilbahn Schwyz-Stoos) has a construction cost of 44.6 million euros, commencing operations on December 17, praised as a great achievement of design engineering. modern.

The inauguration was held at the Stoos resort in Alpine, central Switzerland, at 1,300 meters above sea level.(Photo: EPA).

The carriages designed to be cylindrical like beer barrels will keep the passengers in a straight-up position, even if the train is up or down on the 1,720-meter stretch. The path has a ramp of up to 110% (47.7º).

The train departs from a valley station near Schwyz and goes to the mountain village of Stoos, where only about 100 people live, located about 50km south of Zurich.

The Stoos line is designed with tilt adjustment system, which helps all four cabins with 34 passengers keep their parity throughout the trip.(Photo: EPA).

Ivan Steiner, a spokesman for the railway line, said the line replaces the old train line that has been in operation since 1933. He said: 'After 14 years of planning and conducting construction, everyone is very proud of this train line '.

The Gondola Project, a website about cable transport systems, said the plan to build the Schwyz-Stoos railway line had encountered a number of challenges before starting construction: 'The designers had to analyze 15 Different options before selecting the current route and technology '.

The Gelmerbahn route in the Swiss capital Bern was formerly the world's steepest railway, with a maximum slope of 106%. East Cliff Lift high-speed railway was built in 1902 as the steepest railway in the UK, with a slope of 78%. However, all were defeated by the Schwyz-Stoos railway line .