Implenia welcomes successful opening of Stoosbahn funicular railway
Dietlikon, 18 December 2017 - Implenia and Stossbahnen AG have welcomed the successful opening of a new world-record-breaking funicular railway. Implenia built the railway tunnel and track together with its partner Vetsch Klosters AG. “We’re proud to have realised this unique project for Standseilbahn Schwyz-Stoos AG,” said Implenia’s CEO Anton Affentranger. “We would like to thank our employees and our partners for this extraordinary achievement. They have made the dream of a world record come true. We congratulate the Stoosbahn and wish the railway all the best for the future.” Last weekend, Thomas Meyer, Chairman of Standseilbahn Schwyz-Stoos AG, oversaw the successful opening of a new chapter for the resort: “We’re delighted with the great worldwide media interest, and very pleased that we can now transport guests right into the heart of the Stoos summer and winter sports area with the new railway. And I should mention that the current conditions for winter sports are outstanding.”
The consortium won the contract to build the new funicular in summer 2013. The railway track is 1,760m long, with a height difference between top and bottom of about 745 metres. The core of the project, and the biggest challenge, was the construction of three tunnels and track with gradients of up to 110 percent. Track construction was completed in summer 2017. All three tunnels were created from top to bottom with the drill and blast method using a drilling device developed especially for the project. The “raise-drill”-technique was used for the two lower tunnels, with a hole drilled through the entire length of the tunnel profile prior to blasting. During the subsequent drilling, the excavated material was taken to the valley through this channel, where it could be reused by Standseilbahn Schwyz-Stoos. The extremely steep terrain presented a huge challenge in terms of health and safety too; but thanks to the expertise of the teams working on the project and the strict discipline maintained on the construction site, there were no serious accidents. The ambitious project asked a great deal of everyone involved. The new Stoosbahn opened for business last weekend, two years later than originally planned.
Disagreement between the Implenia-Vetsch consortium and Standseilbahn Schwyz-Stoos about the reasons for the delay were resolved in the last few days in the best interests of both parties following negotiations between Thomas Meyer (Chairman of Standseilbahn Schwyz-Stoos AG) and Anton Affentranger (CEO of Implenia). The parties have agreed not to disclose details of their agreement. A court case, which would have been costly and time-consuming for both sides, has thus been avoided. There is nothing now standing between the new Stoosbahn and a successful first winter.
The boring machine poised in front of the entrance to the second tunnel. The terrain has a maximum gradient of 110 percent, demanding great discipline from the workforce and strict adherence to health and safety precautions. (Picture: Implenia)
Implenia press contact:
Reto Aregger
Head of Communications Group
Tel.: +41 58 474 74 77
Implenia is Switzerland’s leading construction and construction services company. It also has strong positions in the German, Austrian and Scandinavian infrastructure markets. Established in 2006, Implenia can look back on around 150 years of construction tradition. It brings the expertise of its highly skilled sectoral and regional units together under the roof of a company active throughout Europe. With its integrated business model and specialists operating in all areas of construction, the Group can manage a building project through its entire lifecycle and deliver work that is economical, integrated and customer-centric. The focus is on striking a sustainable balance between financial success and social and environmental responsibility.
Implenia, with its headquarters in Dietlikon near Zurich, currently employs more than 9,300 people around Europe and posted revenue of around CHF 3.3 billion in 2016. The company is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (IMPN, CH0023868554). More information can be found at www.implenia.com.
