Lopper II Rail Tunnel

Last updated
Lopper II Rail Tunnel
Overview
Line Luzern–Stans–Engelberg
Location Nidwalden, Switzerland
Coordinates 46°58′39″N8°19′10″E / 46.977403°N 8.319437°E / 46.977403; 8.319437 Coordinates: 46°58′39″N8°19′10″E / 46.977403°N 8.319437°E / 46.977403; 8.319437
Status Active
Operation
Owner Zentralbahn
Operator Zentralbahn
Traffic Rail
Character Passenger and freight
Technical
Length 1,743 metres (5,719 ft)
No. of tracks 1
Track gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 38 in)
Electrified Overhead catenary
11 kV AC 16 2/3 Hz

The Lopper II Rail Tunnel is a railway tunnel in the canton of Nidwalden in central Switzerland. It forms part of the Zentralbahn Luzern–Stans–Engelberg line, which links Lucerne with Engelberg, between Hergiswil station and Stansstad station. It is 1,743 metres (5,719 ft) in length, and carries metre gauge (1,000 mm or 3 ft 3 38 in) track electrified at 11 kV AC 16 2/3 Hz using overhead catenary. The tunnel runs under the Lopper, a shoulder of Mount Pilatus which extends into Lake Lucerne, and immediately on leaving the tunnel the line crosses a bridge over the Alpnachersee arm of Lake Lucerne before entering Stansstad station. [1] [2]

Tunnel An underground passage made for traffic

A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through the surrounding soil/earth/rock and enclosed except for entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube construction techniques rather than traditional tunnel boring methods.

Canton of Nidwalden Canton of Switzerland

The canton of Nidwalden, also canton of Nidwald is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the centre of Switzerland. The population is 40,287 of which 4,046 are foreigners. The capital is Stans.

Switzerland federal republic in Central Europe

Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a country situated in western, central, and southern Europe. It consists of 26 cantons, and the city of Bern is the seat of the federal authorities. The sovereign state is a federal republic bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland is a landlocked country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning a total area of 41,285 km2 (15,940 sq mi). While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8.5 million people is concentrated mostly on the plateau, where the largest cities are to be found: among them are the two global cities and economic centres Zürich and Geneva.

The Lopper II Tunnel is paralleled by the Kirchenwald Tunnel carrying the A2 motorway. The nearby Lopper Tunnel I is a rail tunnel on the Zentralbahn Brünig line, the two rail lines joining at Hergiswil station. [1] [2]

A2 motorway (Switzerland) freeway in Switzerland

The A2 is a motorway in Switzerland. It forms Switzerland's main north-south axis from Basel to Chiasso, meandering with a slight drift toward the east. It lies on the Gotthard axis and crosses the Alps.

The Lopper I Rail Tunnel is a railway tunnel in central Switzerland. The tunnel connects Hergiswil in the canton of Nidwalden with Alpnach in the canton of Obwalden. It forms part of the Zentralbahn Brünig line, which links Lucerne with Interlaken and the Bernese Oberland, between Hergiswil station and Alpnachstad station. It is 1,186 metres (3,891 ft) in length, and carries metre gauge track electrified at 11 kV AC 16 2/3 Hz using overhead catenary. The tunnel runs under the Lopper, a shoulder of Mount Pilatus which extends into Lake Lucerne.

Brünig railway line railway line in Switzerland, linking Interlaken and Lucerne

The Brünig railway line is a Swiss narrow gauge railway line that links Lucerne, in central Switzerland, with Interlaken, in the Bernese Oberland. The line runs via Alpnachstad, Giswil, Meiringen and Brienz, and passes over the Brünig Pass, using sections of rack railway to overcome the gradients, but with most of the line operated by normal adhesion methods.

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Lake Lucerne lake at Lucerne, Switzerland

Lake Lucerne is a lake in central Switzerland and the fourth largest in the country.

Engelberg Place in Obwalden, Switzerland

Engelberg is a village resort and a municipality in the canton of Obwalden in Switzerland. Besides the village of Engelberg, the municipality also includes the settlements of Grafenort, Obermatt and Schwand.

Hergiswil Place in Nidwalden, Switzerland

Hergiswil is a municipality in the canton of Nidwalden in Switzerland.

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Luzern–Stans–Engelberg railway line railway in Switzerland, linking Lucerne, via Hergiswil and Stans, to the resort of Engelberg

The Luzern–Stans–Engelberg railway line is a Swiss narrow gauge rack railway that connects Luzern, via Hergiswil and Stans, to the resort of Engelberg. The line was built by the Stansstad–Engelberg Railway, which became the Luzern–Stans–Engelberg Railway when the line was extended to Luzern.

The Lopper Road Tunnel is a tunnel in central Switzerland. The tunnel connects Hergiswil in the canton of Nidwalden with Alpnach in the canton of Obwalden, and forms part of the A8 motorway. The tunnel was opened in 1984, and is 1,590 metres (5,220 ft) long. The tunnel has two lanes, and there is no central reservation. The tunnel runs under the Lopper, a shoulder of Mount Pilatus which extends into Lake Lucerne.

Gotthard railway trans-Alpine railway in Switzerland

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Zentralbahn company

The Zentralbahn is a Swiss railway company that owns and operates two connecting railway lines in Central Switzerland and the Bernese Oberland. It was created on January 1, 2005, with the acquisition of the independently owned Luzern–Stans–Engelberg line, and the Brünig line of the Swiss Federal Railways. The company has its headquarters in Stansstad.

Zürich Enge railway station railway station

Zürich Enge railway station is a railway station on the S-Bahn Zürich system in the southwestern part, in the Enge quarter, of the Swiss city of Zürich. The station is located on the Lake Zürich left bank line, although it is now bypassed by the alternative Zimmerberg Base Tunnel routing.

Lucerne railway station

Lucerne railway station is a major hub of the rail network of Switzerland, in the city of Lucerne in the canton of Lucerne. It is a terminal station serving domestic and international traffic on several rail lines, and is situated in a city centre and waterfront location on the south side of Lake Lucerne.

Meiringen railway station railway station in the canton of Bern, Switzerland

Meiringen is a railway station, in the town of Meiringen in the Swiss canton of Bern, and at the junction of two railway lines. The Brünig line of the Zentralbahn is an inter-regional metre gauge railway that links Interlaken and Lucerne, whilst the Meiringen–Innertkirchen railway (MIB) is a local railway that links to Innertkirchen and the Aare Gorge.

Hergiswil railway station

Hergiswil is a Swiss railway station in the municipality of Hergiswil in the canton of Nidwalden. It is at the junction of the Brünig line, which links Lucerne and Interlaken, and the Luzern–Stans–Engelberg line. Both lines are of metre gauge and owned by the Zentralbahn railway company. To the south of the station the Brünig line enters the Lopper I tunnel to Alpnach whilst the Luzern–Stans–Engelberg line enters the Lopper II tunnel to Stansstad.

Hergiswil Matt railway station

Hergiswil Matt is a Swiss railway station in the municipality of Hergiswil in the canton of Nidwalden. It is on the Brünig line of the Zentralbahn railway company, which links Lucerne and Interlaken, and is also used by trains of the Luzern–Stans–Engelberg line.

Kriens Mattenhof railway station

Kriens Mattenhof is a Swiss railway station in the municipality of Kriens in the canton of Lucerne. It is on the Brünig line of the Zentralbahn railway company, which links Lucerne and Interlaken, and is also used by trains of the Luzern–Stans–Engelberg line.

Luzern Allmend/Messe railway station

Luzern Allmend/Messe is a Swiss railway station in the city of Lucerne. It is located adjacent to the Swissporarena, in the south of the city. The station is on the Brünig line of the Zentralbahn railway company, and is used by trains of the Luzern–Stans–Engelberg line.

Horw railway station Swiss railway station in the municipality of Horw

Horw railway station is a Swiss railway station in the municipality of Horw. It is on the Brünig line of the Zentralbahn railway company, which links Lucerne and Interlaken, and is also used by trains of the Luzern–Stans–Engelberg line.

Stansstad railway station

Stansstad is a Swiss railway station in the municipality of Stansstad in the canton of Nidwalden. It is on the Luzern–Stans–Engelberg line, owned by the Zentralbahn railway company, and is adjacent to the bridge that carries the line across the Alpnachersee arm of Lake Lucerne and into the Lopper II tunnel.

References

  1. 1 2 map.geo.admin.ch (Map). Swiss Confederation. Retrieved 2014-07-25.
  2. 1 2 Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz. Verlag Schweers + Wall GmbH. 2012. p. 22. ISBN   978-3-89494-130-7.