Stadler and local Swiss operator Pilatus Bahnen have marked the start of operations of new rolling stock on the Pilatus Railway, the steepest rack railway for passengers in the world, near the city of Lucerne.
The 4.6-kilometre Pilatus Railway is a 130-year-old line in the Swiss mountains. The steepest section of the cogwheel railway has a gradient of no less than 48 per cent. The line takes passengers on a scenic route to Mount Pilatus and terminates at the Pilarus Kulm hotel at 2,132 metres above sea level. During the ride, the train ascends 1,635 metres.
Stadler has provided rail cars in double traction as a replacement for the rolling stock from 1937. The cars can carry up to 46 passengers each. The units travel at a speed up 15 kilometres per hour, while the descent happens at speeds between 8 and 12 kilometres per hour.
