Facts
The Lärchwand inclined lift wall boasts two claims to fame: Europe’s largest open inclined lift and the world’s largest track gauge on a passenger rail vehicle.
Lärchwand
inclined lift
431 Metres in height and 8.2 metres track width. Europe’s largest open inclined lift and the world’s largest rail vehicle will transport you into an unparalleled Alpine landscape.
During the construction of the Kaprun high mountain reservoirs, the sloping lift was the only way to transport heavy equipment, building materials and trucks to the high mountains. After the construction of the dam walls, it became a tourist attraction in the Salzburg state and has since become part of the transportation network for visitors to the Kaprun high mountain reservoirs.
The ultimate mode of transport
The Lärchwand inclined lift runs above the Kesselfall-Alpenhaus to the Wasserfallboden reservoir. The inclined lift covers 431 metres in height over a length of 820 metres. The open-plan platform offers fascinating views of the surrounding mountains and the steep route. Awnings protect up to 185 passengers from the sun and rain.
History
In 1941, an inclined lift was installed on the current route, but with a load capacity of 9 tonnes and the requirements of a construction site in the high mountains, this soon turned out to be too small. In 1952, it was extended to its current track gauge and 60 tonnes of load capacity. The inclined lift served as a passenger and material lift for the construction and operation of the Glockner-Kaprun upper stage power plant. The Lärchwand inclined lift was the only way to transport the material needed for the construction of the power plant from the lower to the upper Bergstraße.
After more than 60 years of operation, a complete renovation was carried out from 2012 to 2014. Since the Lärchwand inclined lift is now used exclusively to transport visitors to the reservoirs on the Mooserboden, the load capacity could be reduced to 14 tonnes. The travelling speed is 3.6 m/sec, the travelling time approx. 5 minutes, and the conveying capacity is 900 people per hour.
Technology
The complete drive unit including the control unit and the vehicle, as the lift car is known in funicular jargon, have been renewed. The two electronically synchronised drive motors, each of which drives an allocated cable winch, are located in the underground top station and each have an output of 500 kilowatts. The traction cable is deflected on the vehicle by two cable pulleys and guided on the route by traction cable pulleys. Two rails installed in concrete longitudinal sleepers at ground level on the left and right sides of the slope serve as the track.
The new platform car with its considerable dimensions of 9 by 5.4 metres, like its predecessor, holds 185 people and is open at the top. Special awnings provide protection from the sun or rain as needed. The double-sided, fully glazed telescopic sliding doors to get on and off provide an impressive view of the magnificent world of the three-thousand-metre peaks on the one hand and the steepness of the lift route on the other, which has a maximum incline of 81%. The track is 8.2 metres wide, making it the largest passenger rail vehicle in the world.
Inclined lift – then and now
