Lötschberg railway

Lötschberg railway line
Luogelkin viaduct near Hohtenn
Overview
Statusrunning daily
OwnerBLS AG
LocaleBern and Valais
Termini
Stations12
Service
TypeCommuter and tourist railway
Systemnationally integrated
Services1
Operator(s)BLS
History
Opened1913
Technical
Line length74 km (46 mi)
Number of tracks2
Rack systemNone
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)
Minimum radius300 m (980 ft)
Electrification15 kV/16.7 Hz AC overhead catenary
Highest elevation1,240 m (4,068 ft)
Maximum incline2.7%
Route map

elev (M)
or length (m)
in metres
0.0
Spiez
628 m
Hondrich tunnel
I
II
1,601 m
1,709 m
2.6
5.2
Heustrich-Emdtal
678 m
6.8
Mülenen
692 M
8.3
Reichenbach im Kandertal
706 M
10.4
Wengi-Ey junction
11.3
Wengi
13.5
Frutigen
779 M
Engstlige tunnel
~2,600 m
Widi tunnel
~220 m
Tellenfeld control office
34,577 m
Kander viaduct I & II
265 m
17.4
Kandergrund
Bunderbach spiral tunnel
1,655 m
Kehrtunnel
72 m
Fürten
I
II
697 m
510 m
Ronenwald
76 m
Ronenwald I
59 m
Ronenwald II
60 m
Feschfluh
98 m
Felsenburg
68 m
Felsenburg III
112 m
Felsenburg I
19 m
22.3
Blausee-Mitholz
(
partly
closed
)
974 M
Felsenburg II
29 m
27.1
Felsburg crossing loop
Rotbach
50 m
Hemligen
106 m
Mitholz
Riedschuk
1,536 m
Sarengraben
68 m
31.6
Kandersteg
1,176 M
Kandersteg International
Scout Centre
Car ferry storage sidings
14,612 m
48.4
Goppenstein
1,217 M
87 m
84 m
Rotlaui
286 m
Mittalgraben I
459 m
Luegie
493 m
Hohegg
118 m
Marchgraben
207 m
Mittalgraben II
1,600 m
Hohtenn
1,346 m
54.2
Hohtenn
1,078 M
Luegelkinn
116 m
Schluchi
107 m
Lidenplatten
217 m
Ijolibach
92 m
Blasboden
377 m
Bietschtal I
589 m
Bietschtal
136 m
Bietschtal II
952 m
Sevistein III
409 m
Mahnkinn
385 m
Doren
172 m
61.3
Ausserberg
932 M
Gründen
148 m
Viktoria
28 m
Baltschieder
101 m
Eggerberg
792 m
64.9
Eggerberg
853 M
Stadel
133 m
Finnengraben
69 m
67.3
Lalden
801 M
Bad
80 m
Mundbach
88 m
Rhône bridge
83 m
& Lausanne
 
73.8
Brig
678 M
19,803 m
elev (M)
or length (m)
in metres
Source: Swiss railway atlas

The Lötschberg line is a railway in Switzerland, connecting Spiez in the canton of Bern with Brig in the canton of Valais. It crosses the Bernese Alps, from the Bernese Oberland to Upper Valais, through the Lötschberg Tunnel in the middle of the line. Together with the Simplon Tunnel south of Brig, it constitutes one of the major railways through the Alps and an important north-south axis in Europe. The Lötschberg axis is backed by the lower and longer Lötschberg Base Tunnel, part of the New Railway Links through the Alps project.

The line is famous for its double loop of spiral tunnels in the Kander Valley on its northern approach to the Lötschberg Tunnel and the climb out of the Rhone Valley along a steep mountainside through numerous tunnels and viaducts on the southern approach. Its culminating point is 1,240 metres (4,070 ft) above sea level, making it the highest adhesion and standard gauge railway in Switzerland.