Lake Zürich left-bank railway line

Lake Zürich left-bank railway line
The line at Horgen, showing the proximity of Lake Zurich
Line length:61.31 kilometres (38.10 mi)
Track gauge:1435
Voltage:15 kV 16.7 Hz AC
Electrification:Overhead line
Maximum incline: 1.7  %
Zürich–Ziegelbrücke–Näfels
Legend
 0.34 Zurich HB 408 m asl
 Link from Zurich Altstetten
 1.96 Zürich Aussersihl
Zimmerberg Base Tunnel9478 m (li) / 9419 m (re)
2.93 Zurich WiedikonReiterbahnhof 405 m asl
Wiedikon-Ulmberg tunnel848 m
SZU goods line to Giesshübel
3.41 Kollerwiese
3.93 Zurich Enge 409 m asl
Enge tunnel903 m
5.81 Zurich Wollishofen 409 m asl
8.86 Kilchberg 424 m asl
9.68 Nidelbad
Planned extension of the base tunnel to Zug
10.64 Rüschlikon 433 m asl
12.09 Thalwil
 Zurich–Lucerne railway line to Zug
 14.23 Oberrieden 424 m asl
 16.77 Horgen 408 m asl
 20.73 Au ZH 409 m asl
 23.97 Wädenswil 408 m asl
 Wädenswil–Einsiedeln railway line
 27.46 Richterswil 408 m asl
 28.73 Hafen
 29.37 Bäch SZ 411 m asl
 31.71 Freienbach SBB 410 m asl
 Pfäffikon SZ–Arth-Goldau railway line
 33.44 Pfäffikon SZ
 Pfäffikon SZ–Rapperswil railway line over the Seedamm
 37.18 Altendorf 412 m asl
 39.58 Lachen 416 m asl
 A3 Lachen62 m
 43.49 Siebnen-Wangen 433 m asl
 46.57 Schübelbach-Buttikon 418 m asl
 49.94 Reichenburg 420 m asl
 54.23 Bilten 421 m asl
 Lower Linth canal bridge62 m
 Rapperswil–Ziegelbrücke railway line
 57.14 Ziegelbrücke
Ziegelbrücke–Sargans railway line
old line until 1931
Upper Linth canal bridge53 m
58.91 Nieder-und-Oberurnen 427 m asl
Weesen
Linth canal
to Sargans
61.65 Näfels-Mollis 437 m asl
 Weesen–Linthal railway line

The Lake Zürich left bank railway line (German: Linksufrige Zürichseebahn), is a railway line in Switzerland. As its name suggests, it runs down the left, or west, bank of Lake Zürich, connecting Zürich to Ziegelbrücke and Näfels.[1]

The left-bank railway opened in 1875 and forms part of the Zürich–Chur main line. It is 61.31 kilometres (38.10 mi) long, standard gauge, double track and electrified at 15 kV  16 2⁄3 Hz AC supplied by overhead line. Between Zürich and Thalwil, the line originally shared its tracks with the Zürich–Lucerne main line, although many through trains on this stretch now use the Zimmerberg Base Tunnel rather than the lakeside line.[1]

Geography

History

The line was opened in 1875. Prior to this, trains between Zürich and Chur travelled on the Wallisellen to Rapperswil via Uster line. The parallel line on the opposite bank of Lake Zürich did not open until 1894.

Between 1875 and 1925, the line followed a routing through Zürich north of Wollishofen that differed from the current alignment and was largely at street level, with many level crossings. The line passed through a single tunnel, the original Ulmberg rail tunnel, and crossed the Sihl river on a bridge. Between 1925 and 1927, this stretch of line was relocated westwards and to a lower level, largely in the new Ulmberg and Enge tunnels, and the current Wiedikon and Enge stations date from this period. The original Ulmberg rail tunnel is still in use for road traffic, forming the western bore of the Ulmberg road tunnel, but most of the rest of the former route has been obscured by subsequent building.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz. Verlag Schweers + Wall GmbH. 2012. pp. 12–13, 64–65. ISBN 978-3-89494-130-7.
  2. ↑ map.geo.admin.ch with Siegfried Map First edition overlaid (Map). Swiss Confederation. Retrieved 2013-05-13.



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