Gornergrat Railway

Gornergrat Railway
A train approaching the summit station
Overview
Native nameGornergrat Bahn (GGB)
OwnerBVZ Holding
Technical
Line length9.339 km (5.803 mi)
Number of tracksSingle track
3.79 km (2.355 mi) Double track
Rack systemAbt[1][2]
Track gauge1,000 mm (3 ft 3+38 in) metre gauge[1][2]
Electrification725 V, 50 Hz, 3-phase,[1][2]
2 Overhead lines[1]
Highest elevation3,089 m (10,135 ft)
Route map

elev
in m
to Visp & Brig
0.00
Zermatt
1,605
Matter Vispa
Findelbach viaduct
1.75
Findelbach
1,770
Gsäss tunnel
Bränfluh tunnel
Kühlerbrunnen tunnel
Land tunnel
Riffelalp Resort
4.03
Riffelalp
2,211
Riffelboden
Riffelbord gallery
6.47
Riffelberg
2,582
7.91
Rotenboden
2,815
9.34
Gornergrat
3,089
elev
in m
Aerial panorama of the Gornergrat

The Gornergrat Railway (German: Gornergrat Bahn; GGB) is a mountain rack railway, located in the Swiss canton of Valais. It links the resort village of Zermatt, situated at 1,604 m (5,262 ft) above mean sea level, to the summit of the Gornergrat. The Gornergrat railway station is situated at an altitude of 3,089 m (10,135 ft), which makes the Gornergrat Railway the second highest railway in Europe after the Jungfrau, and the highest open-air railway of the continent. The line opened in 1898, and was the first electric rack railway to be built in Switzerland.[1][2][3] The Gornergrat is a starting point for many hikes, as it lies surrounded by 29 peaks rising above 4,000 m (13,123 ft) in the Alps and several glaciers, including the Gorner Glacier (which is billed as the second longest glacier in the Alps). At the end of the line on Gornergrat, the Matterhorn is visible on a clear day. It is also a popular skiing area.[3]

The Gornergrat Railway Ltd (Gornergrat Bahn AG) is a wholly owned subsidiary of BVZ Holdings AG, who are also the majority owners of the Matterhorn Gotthard Verkehrs AG, the company that operates the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGB), with which the GGB connects in Zermatt.[3][4]

  1. ^ a b c d e Buckley, Richard (2000). Tramways and Light Railways of Switzerland and Austria (2nd edition), p. 86. Gloucester, UK: Light Rail Transit Association. ISBN 0-948106-27-1.
  2. ^ a b c d Harris, Ken (Ed.) (2001). Jane's World Railways 2001–2002 (43rd edition), p. 352. Coulsdon, Surrey (UK): Jane's Information Group. ISBN 978-0-7106-2335-5.
  3. ^ a b c Allen, Cecil J. (1958). Switzerland's Amazing Railways. London: Thomas Nelson and Sons. pp. 130–132.
  4. ^ "BVZ Holding AG (BVZN.S)". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-06-12.