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Albis Tunnel

"Swiss-Express" train leaving the Albis Tunnel as seen from Sihlbrugg railway station
Overview
Official name	German: Albistunnel
Line	Thalwil–Arth-Goldau railway
Location	Zurich and Zug, Switzerland
Coordinates	47°13′30″N 8°33′29″E / 47.2250°N 8.5580°E / 47.2250; 8.5580
Status	Active
System	Swiss Federal Railways (SBB)
Crosses	Albis
Start	Near Sihlbrugg railway station
End	Litti near Baar
Operation
Constructed	December 1891 – August 1894
Opened	June 1, 1897 (1897-06-01)
Owner	SBB
Operator	SBB
Traffic	Train
Character	Passenger and freight
Technical
Design engineer	Franz Vital Lusser
Length	3,360 metres (11,020 ft)
No. of tracks	Single
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrified	15 kV/16.7 Hz AC
Grade	12‰
Route map

The Albis Tunnel is a railway tunnel in the Canton of Zug and the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland which opened in 1897. It crosses the Albis and connects Sihlbrugg railway station to Litti near Baar. At a length of 3,360 metres (11,020 ft), it was the second longest railway tunnel of Switzerland at the time of its opening.

History

Planning

In the context of the construction of the Gotthard railway and the Lake Zurich left-bank railway line by the Swiss Northeastern Railway (NOB) in the 1870s, there was a desire to connect the two lines with a branch running from Thalwil to Zug, which would later become the Thalwil–Arth-Goldau railway line. This would require trains to pass through the range of hills separating the Sihl valley and the coastline of Lake Zurich, so originally after the line would have passed through a planned tunnel of a length of 1,250 m (4,100 ft), branching off above Oberrieden leading to the Sihl valley (a precursor of the Zimmerbergtunnel constructed later), it would have followed the valley to Zug in the open. However, this project was put on hold due to the NOB railway crisis, and only in 1890, after the Federal Assembly had made the definite decision of the construction of a line Thalwil–Baar–Zug, the NOB returned to planning the connecting branch, and selected a tunnel through the Albis as the better option against a proposed open line through Walterswil near Baar. Since both the Sihltal railway line and a proposed (but later failed) line coming from St. Gallen were planning to connect to Zug through the same tunnel, there were demands to build the Albis tunnel as double-track, which was heavily opposed by the NOB and ultimately rejected by the Federal Council in favour of a certain and timely execution.

Construction

From December 1891 to February 1892, the NOB began the construction of the tunnel under piecework, and around the same time, published the second invitation to tender for an "Albis Tunnel of 3400 m of length" with a proposed tender of roughly 3.5 million Swiss Franc. In early 1892, the contract was given to the company Franz Lusser & Cie., which resumed work on the tunnel in April of the same year. Engineer Franz Vital Lusser had founded this company and amassed enough money for the security deposit required by the contract, which he had failed to procure when the NOB published the first invitation to tender in 1891. As an engineer, he had already been involved with the construction of the Gotthard Tunnel under Louis Favre. Under him, the construction of the tunnel, executed from both ends, was able to progress at an average rate of 3 meters per day. Breakthrough of the pilot tunnel was achieved on 8 May 1894 with an "official breakthrough" celebrated on 15 May 1894. At convergence of the two sections built from either site, there was a deviation of 4–5 centimeters. Construction of the walling was finished in August of the same year, leaving the overall construction of the Albis Tunnel, which was orignially thought to be the most time-consuming part of the line Thalwil-Zug, finished one year earlier than planned. The tunnel opened to traffic along with the rest of the Thalwil–Zug line on 1 June 1897 and at that time, at a length of 3,360 m (11,020 ft), it was the second longest tunnel of Switzerland.

Operations

Notes

1. ^ The length given for this tunnel varies by source between 3358 m, 3359 m, and 3360 m. This article uses the length given by SBB.

References

1. ^ Schweers, Hans (2012). Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz (in German) (2nd ed.). Cologne: Schweers + Wall. pp. 12–13. ISBN 9783894941307.
2. ^ Stuber, Martin (2023). "Baar und Steinhausen: Lieber spät als nie". Lebensadern: Zuger Eisenbahngeschichte(n) (in German). Schwyz: Triner Media + Print. pp. 65–96. ISBN 9783033102491.
3. Vierzigster Geschäftsbericht der Direktion der Schweizerischen Nordostbahngesellschaft an die Generalversammlung der Aktionäre umfassend das Jahr 1892 (Report). Vol. 40. 1893. pp. 3–11. doi:10.5169/seals-730413.
4. ^ Weber, Robert (1894-08-28). "Médailles suisses : frappées en 1893 et 1894". Société Suisse de Numismatique. 4: 217. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
5. ^ Züblin, Emil (1898). "Mitteilungen über den Bau der Linien Schaffhausen-Eglisau und Thalweil-Zug: Vortrag". Schweizerische Bauzeitung. 32 (3): 22–24. doi:10.5169/seals-20781.
6. "Bauausschreibung". Schweizerische Bauzeitung. 18 (24). A. Waldner. 1891. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
7. ^ Stuber, Martin (2023). "Zuger Spezialitäten – "Stadtbahn", Kollermühle, F. V. Lusser: Die Stadtbahn gab es schon 1902". Lebensadern: Zuger Eisenbahngeschichte(n) (in German). Schwyz: Triner Media + Print. pp. 161–192. ISBN 9783033102491.
8. Gisler-Jauch, Rolf. "Franz Vital Lusser". Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz. Schweizerische Akademie der Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
9. R., M. (1927). "Lusser, Franz Vital". Schweizerische Bauzeitung. 90 (18): 236–237. ISSN 0036-7524. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
10. Mathys, Ernst (1955). Männer der Schiene (2nd ed.). Bern: Kümmerly & Frey. pp. 72–74. OCLC 312224581.
11. Zweiundvierzigster Geschäftsbericht der Direktion der Schweizerischen Nordostbahngesellschaft an die Generalversammlung der Aktionäre umfassend das Jahr 1894 (Report). Vol. 42. 1895. pp. 84–86. doi:10.5169/seals-730496.
12. Einundvierzigster Geschäftsbericht der Direktion der Schweizerischen Nordostbahngesellschaft an die Generalversammlung der Aktionäre umfassend das Jahr 1893 (Report). Vol. 41. 1894. pp. 94–95. doi:10.5169/seals-730463.
13. Odermatt, Franz (1940). Land und Volk der Urschweiz. Stans. pp. 248–251. OCLC 1271108674.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
14. ^ "Tunnels". data.sbb.ch. SBB Infrastruktur. 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
15. ^ Wägli, Hans G.; Jacobi, Sébastien (2010). Schienennetz Schweiz / Réseau ferré suisse (in German and French) (3rd ed.). Zurich: AS-Verlag. p. 151. ISBN 9783909111749.
16. Spitteler, Carl (1897). Der Gotthard. Verlag von J. Huber. p. 25. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
17. Bruder, Hans (1945). "Zürcher Chronik : vom 1. Juli 1943 bis 30. Juni 1944". Zürcher Taschenbuch (in German). Zürich: Gesellschaft zürcherischer Geschichtsfreunde. p. 242. Retrieved 4 January 2025.