Cableways by year of opening

The oldest cableway still maintained in its original condition is the Interlaken–Heimwehfluh wire cableway. Built in 1906, it operates today, unchanged, as it did before. The start of the cableways story, however, goes back 40 years before that. The following time line contains selected milestones in the history of Swiss cableways:

1866: The world’s first passenger cableway is constructed in Neuhausen am Rheinfall as a connection between the bank of the Rhine and the turbine station in the middle of the river; for the exclusive use of turbine attendants to get to their place of work; hand-operated winding mechanism.

1877: Construction of the first funicular railway between Lausanne and Ouchy by Theodor Bell. Rail-based wire cableway, bridging distance: 1485 m. 1958 conversion to rack rail, 2008 conversion to a Pneu-Metro.

1879: first tourist funicular railway construction of the connection between the Brienzersee valley station and the Hotel Giessbach mountain station. First example of the now common preference for rail-based shuttle operation using the principle of water ballast for motive power and cogwheels for braking.

1888: Opening of the first electric powered funicular railway on the Bürgenstock (Bürgenstockbahn).

1904: Start of building the suspended cableway (shuttle type) between Grindelwald and the Wetterhorn. 1904 erection of the first of four sections, 1908 opening of the first section to public traffic, 1915 abandonment of the operation due to low demand and the outbreak of World War I.

1924: Construction of the Fürigenbahn (funicular railway), the first cableway with remote control in the car.

1927: Inauguration of the first air cableway based on the Bleichert-Zuegg system between Gerschnialp and Trübsee near Engelberg.

1944: Europe’s first chair lift connection between Trübsee bei Engelberg and the Jochpass.

1950: Switzerland’s first cable car from Crans-sur-Sierre to Cry-d’Er, with 48 4-person cars, 3.3 km long, considerable stability in the wind and large carrying capacity given the prevailing conditions.

1958: First fully automatic air cableway for carrying passengers between Brusino Arsizio and Serpiano in Ticino. Coin-operated payment, passenger counting, door closing and drive all automated.

1979: First fully automated funicular: Rigiblick, Zurich.

These days, the focus is mainly on improving existing cableways and installing new technology. At mount Titlis for example there have been rotating cableway cars giving 360° views during the trip since 1992. Since 1994 there have been orbital cableways which are attached to two parallel running winding cables. In 1995 in Samnaun the first cableway with double-decker cars was opened with a capacity of 180 passengers. In 2012 was the inauguration of the world’s first cable car with a roofless upper deck on the Stanserhorn.