Furka Summit Tunnel

Furka Summit Tunnel
FO train at Muttbach-Belvédère portal, 1981.
Overview
LineFurka Oberalp Bahn (FO) (to 1981)
Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway (DFB) (since 2000)
LocationValais / Uri, Switzerland
StatusOpen
StartFurka, Uri
46°34′34″N 8°25′42″E / 46.57611°N 8.42833°E / 46.57611; 8.42833
EndMuttbach-Belvédère, Valais
46°34′02″N 8°24′14″E / 46.56722°N 8.40389°E / 46.56722; 8.40389
Operation
Opened3 July 1926 (1926-07-03)
Closed11 October 1981 (1981-10-11)
Reopened14 July 2000 (2000-07-14)
OwnerFurka Cogwheel Steam Railway
OperatorFurka Cogwheel Steam Railway
TrafficTrain
CharacterPassenger
Technical
Length1,858 m (1.155 mi)
Line length1,858 m (1.155 mi)
No. of tracksSingle track
Track gauge1,000 mm (3 ft 3+38 in) metre gauge
ElectrifiedOverhead catenary,
11 kV AC 16 2/3 Hz
(1942-1981)
Highest elevation2,160 m (7,090 ft)
above the Sea

The Furka Summit Tunnel (German: Furka-Scheiteltunnel) is a 1.86 kilometres (1.16 mi) long railway tunnel in southern Switzerland.[1] It lies at an altitude of 2,160 metres (7,090 ft). The summit tunnel was completed in 1925, and first opened on 3 July 1926. It links the Furka railway station, in Uri, with the Muttbach-Belvédère halting point, in Valais.

Until 1982, when the summit tunnel was replaced by the Furka Base Tunnel, the railway line passing through the summit tunnel was part of the Furka Oberalp Bahn (FO). However, that line, which, along with the summit tunnel, was closed in 1981 and reopened in 2000, is now part of the Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway, a heritage railway operating in summer only.

  1. ^ Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz. Verlag Schweers + Wall GmbH. 2012. p. 34. ISBN 978-3-89494-130-7.