Bienne–Evilard Funicular

Bienne–Evilard Funicular
Bienne–Evilard Funicular
	Funicular car in 2012
Overview
Other name(s)	Leubringenbahn; Funiculaire Bienne–Evilard; Drahtseilbahn Biel-Leubringen; Seilbahn Biel-Leubringen
Status	In operation
Owner	Verkehrsbetriebe Biel/Transports publics biennois (VB/TPB)
Locale	Biel/Bienne, Switzerland
Termini	"Biel/Bienne Leubringenb.(Funi)"; "Evilard/Leubringen";
Stations	3 (including "Biel/Bienne Beaumont")
Service
Type	Funicular
Operator(s)	Verkehrsbetriebe Biel/Transports publics biennois (VB/TPB)
Rolling stock	2
History
Opened	January 1898; (127 years ago)
Intermediate station	1905
Technical
Line length	920 m (3,020 ft)
Track length	933 m (3,061 ft)
Number of tracks	1 with passing loop
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
Electrification	from opening
Highest elevation	694 m (2,277 ft)
Maximum incline	35.5%

The Bienne–Evilard Funicular (German:Leubringenbahn; French:Funiculaire Bienne–Evilard) is a funicular railway in the bilingual city of Biel/Bienne in the Swiss canton of Bern. The funicular links Biel/Bienne with Leubringen/Evilard in the Jura mountains above the town. It is owned and operated by Verkehrsbetriebe Biel/Transports publics biennois (VB/TPB), the city's public transport operator.^[1]^[2]

History

The company Drahtseilbahn Biel-Leubringen was formed in 1896^{[citation needed]}, and the line was opened in January 1898. As built it was electrically operated^{[citation needed]}, with single track and a central passing loop. In 1905, an intermediate station was built at the passing loop, with a roof over the platforms and tracks. In 1964, the company changed its name to Seilbahn Biel-Leubringen^{[citation needed]}. In 2000, the owning company merged with the owners of the nearby Biel–Magglingen Funicular to form FUNIC AG. In 2003, the drive system was replaced, and in the summer of 2009, the new, modern panoramic cars were put into service. In 2014, FUNIC AG was acquired by the VB/TPB.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Operation

The line has a length of 933 metres (3,061 ft), a maximum incline of 37%, overcomes a difference of elevation of 242 metres (794 ft) and reaches a maximum elevation of 694 metres (2,277 ft). It has a single metre gauge track with an intermediate passing loop. Besides the two terminal stations, it also serves an intermediate station, known as Beaumont, at the passing loop. Cars run at a maximum speed of 5 metres per second (16.4 ft/s), giving a travel time of 7 minutes.^[1]^[2]^[6]^[7]

The line is operated by two cars, each of which can carry 80 passengers, giving a maximum capacity of 685 passengers per hour per direction. In normal service, the funicular operates every 10 minutes from start of service just before 06:00 to just before 20:00, and then every 20 minutes until it shuts down at midnight.^[2]^[6]^[7]

Gallery

Car in the upper station
Passing loop and Beaumont station
Original share certificate

References

^ ^a ^b "BM - Bienne - Evilard (Biel - Leubringen)". Funimag. Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Leubringenbahn/Funi Evilard" (PDF). Verkehrsbetriebe Biel/Transports publics biennois. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
^ "FUNIC - Biel - Magglingen - Presentation". Funimag. Archived from the original on 2 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
^ "Über die Verkehrsbetriebe Biel" [About the Biel Transport Company] (in German). Verkehrsbetriebe Biel/Transports publics biennois. Archived from the original on 2 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
^ "2500.02 Biel/Bienne Quellegasse 25 - Evilard (Leubring)". standseilbahnen.ch (in German). Archived from the original on 2 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
^ ^a ^b "Seilbahnen" [Cable cars] (in German). Verkehrsbetriebe Biel/Transports publics biennois. Archived from the original on 2 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
^ ^a ^b Réseau ferré suisse, Secrétariat général CFF, Berne 1997, rééd. AS Verlag, ISBN 978-3-909111-74-9