Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn
Encyclopedia
Canton of Zürich
The Canton of Zurich has a population of . The canton is located in the northeast of Switzerland and the city of Zurich is its capital. The official language is German, but people speak the local Swiss German dialect called Züritüütsch...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The network comprises the Uetlibergbahn and Sihltalbahn railway lines, a cable car and a network of bus services.
The SZU is jointly owned by the city of Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
(32.6%), the municipalities of Adliswil
Adliswil
Adliswil is a municipality in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-History:Adliswil is first mentioned in 1050 as Adelenswile. In the second half of the 12th Century it was mentioned as Adololdiswile and in 1248 as Adeloswile.Under the Helvetic Republic, the hamlet of...
, Langnau am Albis
Langnau am Albis
Langnau am Albis is a city in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-History:Langnau am Albis is first mentioned between 1101 and 1150 as Langenow . Between 1133 and 1167 it was mentioned as Langenouw.-Geography:Langnau am Albis has an area of...
, Horgen
Horgen
Horgen is a village in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.It is one of the larger towns along the south bank of the Lake of Zurich.- History :Horgen is also the type-site of Switzerland's middle Neolithic archaeological culture...
, Thalwil
Thalwil
Thalwil is a municipality in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. As of 2010 its population was of 17,189.-History:...
and Uitikon
Uitikon
Uitikon is a municipality in the district of Dietikon in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-Geography:Uitikon has an area of . Of this area, 38.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 33.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 27.2% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...
(6.8%), the Canton of Zürich
Canton of Zürich
The Canton of Zurich has a population of . The canton is located in the northeast of Switzerland and the city of Zurich is its capital. The official language is German, but people speak the local Swiss German dialect called Züritüütsch...
(23.8%), the federal government
Federal administration of Switzerland
The federal administration of Switzerland is the ensemble of agencies that constitute, together with the Swiss Federal Council, the executive branch of the Swiss federal authorities...
(27.8%), and other parties (9%). It is constituted as an Aktiengesellschaft
Aktiengesellschaft
Aktiengesellschaft is a German term that refers to a corporation that is limited by shares, i.e. owned by shareholders, and may be traded on a stock market. The term is used in Germany, Austria and Switzerland...
(AG) or public company.
History
The history of the SZU dates back to two separate companies, which built the two railways that now make up the SZU. The first of these companies was the Uetlibergbahn-Gesellschaft, which opened its line from Bahnhof Selnau in Zurich to the summit of the UetlibergUetliberg
The Üetliberg is a mountain in the Swiss plateau, part of the Albis chain, rising to 873 m . The Uetliberg offers a panoramic view of the entire city of Zurich and the Lake of Zurich. There is also a hotel in the name of "Uto Kulm" on this small mountain...
mountain in 1875. This was followed in 1892 by the Sihltalbahn company (SITB), which opened a line from Bahnhof Selnau to Sihlwald. In 1897 this latter line was extended to Sihlbrugg
Sihlbrugg
Sihlbrugg is a village and important transportation node between the cantons of Zug and Zürich in Switzerland.- Geography :Sihlbrugg is located in the Sihl Valley between the Albis chain and the Zimmerberg region serving as watershed between the Sihl and Lorze rivers...
and a connection with the Thalwil
Thalwil
Thalwil is a municipality in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. As of 2010 its population was of 17,189.-History:...
to Zug
Zug
Zug , is a German-speaking city in Switzerland. The name ‘Zug’ originates from fishing vocabulary; in the Middle Ages it referred to the right to ‘pull up’ fishing nets and hence to the right to fish.The city of Zug is located in the Canton of Zug and is its capital...
line of the Swiss Northeastern Railway
Swiss Northeastern Railway
The Swiss Northeastern Railway or NOB was an early railway company in Switzerland.In 1853 the Swiss Northern Railway merged with the Lake Constance and Rheinfall Railways under the name Swiss Northeastern Railway.The main instigator was Alfred Escher...
(NOB).
In 1920, the Uetlibergbahn-Gesellschaft became bankrupt and was liquidated. Two years later the Uetlibergbahn was taken over by the Bahngesellschaft Zürich–Uetliberg (BZUe). In 1923 the Uetlibergbahn was electrified using the direct current
Direct current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
system, whilst the following year the Sihltalbahn was electrified using alternating current
Alternating current
In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
.
In 1932 the SITB took over the management of the BZUe, but the two companies remained in existence until 1973, when they were merged to form the SZU. In the meantime, in 1954, the SITB had taken over the management of the Luftseilbahn Adliswil-Felsenegg
Luftseilbahn Adliswil-Felsenegg
Luftseilbahn Adliswil-Felsenegg is an aerial tramway in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. Its name is commonly abbreviated to LAF; the tramway usually is called Felseneggbahn....
cable car.
In 1990, the two lines were extended from their previous joint terminus at Bahnhof Selnau to an underground terminus at Zürich Hauptbahnhof. A new underground intermediate station was provided adjacent to the former terminus, which was then redeveloped.
In 1995, the company took over responsibility for bus services in parts of the district of Horgen
Horgen (district)
Horgen District is a district of Canton of Zürich in Switzerland. The district is located in the Zimmerberg and Sihl Valley region; its capital is the town of Horgen. The district consists of 12 municipalities and has a population of and an area of ....
.
Rail network
The SZU continues to operate the original Uetlibergbahn and Sihltalbahn lines, although there is currently no regular service over the outermost section of the Sihltalbahn line between Sihlwald and SihlbruggSihlbrugg
Sihlbrugg is a village and important transportation node between the cantons of Zug and Zürich in Switzerland.- Geography :Sihlbrugg is located in the Sihl Valley between the Albis chain and the Zimmerberg region serving as watershed between the Sihl and Lorze rivers...
. The two lines share a common double-track section between Zürich Giesshübel
Zürich Giesshübel railway station
Zurich Giesshübel is a railway station in the west of the Swiss city of Zurich, in the city's Alt-Wiedikon quarter. The station is served by line S4 of the Zürich S-Bahn, which is operated by the Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn . Trains on the same company's S10 line pass by the station without...
and Zürich Hauptbahnhof, with the final approach in tunnel, partly under the Sihl
Sihl
The Sihl is a river of Switzerland. It rises at Drusberg in the Canton of Schwyz. It passes through the Sihlsee near Einsiedeln, and then enters the Canton of Zurich, flowing through the Sihl valley at the foot of the Albis, passing the Sihlwald, the largest remaining deciduous forest of the Swiss...
river. A dedicated pair of underground platforms are used at the Hauptbahnhof with no rail connection to the rest of the station.
Also operated is a connecting line from Giesshübel to the Swiss Federal Railways at Zürich Wiedikon, although this is normally only used for freight traffic. In all, the SZU network measures 30.06 km (18.7 mi): 19.7 km (12.2 mi) km as part of the Sihltalbahn (including the Wiedikon to Giesshübel line) and 10.36 km (6.4 mi) of the Uetlibergbahn.
The passenger services on the two lines now form part of the S-Bahn Zürich, with the service over the Sihltalbahn to Sihlwald branded as the S4
S4 (ZVV)
The S4 is a regional railway line of the Zurich S-Bahn on the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund , Zürich transportation network, in the canton of Zürich, Switzerland.- Route :The line runs from Zürich Hauptbahnhof to Langnau-Gattikon and Sihlwald...
and the Uetlibergbahn branded as the S10
S10 (ZVV)
The S10 is a regional railway service in the Swiss canton of Zurich. It forms part of the Zurich S-Bahn on the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund , Zürich transportation network.- Route :...
.
Both railway lines are constructed to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
. They are unusual in that, whilst the Sihltalbahn is electrified using the standard Swiss mainline system of overhead lines at 15kV 16.7Hz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
AC
Alternating current
In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
, the Uetlibergbahn is electrified using overhead lines at 1200 V
Volt
The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
DC
Direct current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
. In order to avoid conflict on the common section, the Uetlibergbahn uses an overhead line offset from the centre of the track, and its cars are equipped with specially designed pantographs
Pantograph (rail)
A pantograph for rail lines is a hinged electric-rod device that collects electric current from overhead lines for electric trains or trams. The pantograph typically connects to a one-wire line, with the track acting as the ground wire...
to collect from this.
Other services
The cable carCable car
A cable car is any of a variety of transportation systems relying on cables to pull vehicles along or lower them at a steady rate, or a vehicle on these systems.-Aerial lift:Aerial lifts where the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable:...
Luftseilbahn Adliswil-Felsenegg
Luftseilbahn Adliswil-Felsenegg
Luftseilbahn Adliswil-Felsenegg is an aerial tramway in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. Its name is commonly abbreviated to LAF; the tramway usually is called Felseneggbahn....
(LAF for short or commonly called Felsenegg
Felsenegg
Felsenegg is a vantage point in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.- Geography :Felsenegg is located some to the southwest of the city of Zürich on the Albis chain, between the municipalities of Stallikon and Adliswil. The hilltop station of Luftseilbahn Adliswil-Felsenegg aerial tramway is...
bahn) is provided by the SZU, in addition to the Zimmerberg bus line
Zimmerberg bus line
The Zimmerberg bus line is a bus line network in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.- Structure :Zimmerbergbus is a bus line in the district of Horgen, operated by the Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn and its local partner firms: AHW Busbetriebe AG in Horgen, Busbetriebe Bamert GmbH in Wollerau,...
(German: Zimmerbergbus) in the district of Horgen
Horgen (district)
Horgen District is a district of Canton of Zürich in Switzerland. The district is located in the Zimmerberg and Sihl Valley region; its capital is the town of Horgen. The district consists of 12 municipalities and has a population of and an area of ....
which is providing a network of 166.5 km (103.5 mi) including 201 stops.
Tariffs
The SZU was a founder member, in May 1990, of the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund (ZVV) and the standard ZVV zonal fare tariffs apply to its services.Fleet
Sihltalbahn (S4)- 6 Umrichterlokomotiven Re 4/4 542–547
- 7 Control car (rail)Control car (rail)A control car is a generic term for a non-powered railroad vehicle that can control operation of a train from the end opposite to the position of the locomotive...
Bt 971–973, Bt 984–987 - 6 Zwischenwagen BD 281–285, B 293
- 6 Doppelstockwagen B 271–276
- Re 456 Doppelstock-Pendelzug (DPZ): Re 456 551, 552, B 231, 232, 241, 242 and Bt 951, 952
Eight Niederflurdostowagen (NDW) have been ordered for spring/summer 2010.
Uetlibergbahn (S10)
- 8 motor cars Be 4/4 521–528
- 4 lowfloor intermediate cars B 221–224
- 2 articulated two section EMUElectric multiple unitAn electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
s Be 8/8 531, 532 - 6 BE510 class EMUs ordered from StadlerStadler RailStadler Rail AG , based in Bussnang, Switzerland, is a Swiss manufacturer of rail passenger cars.In 1942 Ernst Stadler founded the Stadler Engineering Office which later became Stadler Rail.- Factories :...
in 2010, to enter service in 2013, equipped for dual voltage operation with movable pantographPantograph (rail)A pantograph for rail lines is a hinged electric-rod device that collects electric current from overhead lines for electric trains or trams. The pantograph typically connects to a one-wire line, with the track acting as the ground wire...