18-617: The Meiringen–Innertkirchen railway line is a 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 8 in ) metre gauge railway line in the Swiss canton of Bern . It covers a distance of 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) between Innertkirchen and Meiringen , where it connects with the Brünig railway line of the Zentralbahn company , which links Interlaken and Lucerne . The Kraftwerke Oberhasli (KWO) electricity supply company built
36-649: A construction railway to support the building of hydroelectric dams in the Oberhasli and the Grimsel Pass . It was built by the Kraftwerke Oberhasli (KWO) company, which was founded to build and operate the hydroelectric plants, and it was opened in 1926. Several Mallet -type steam locomotives were acquired from the Rhätische Bahn to operate the line. As well as construction traffic,
54-559: Is a section of the river Aare that carves through a limestone ridge near the town of Meiringen , in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland . The gorge is an indirect product of glaciation ; 10,000 years ago, just as the Ice Age was coming to an end, torrential runoff water from melting glaciers eroded a deep, narrow chasm through the limestone barrier. Although barely 2 kilometres (1 mi) long, this passage
72-467: Is bordered by sheer cliffs up to 50 m (160 ft) high on either side. The gorge varies in width from some 30 metres (98 ft) at its widest to just 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) at its narrowest. The gorge is a popular tourist attraction, many visitors attracted by the nearby Reichenbach Falls , which Sir Arthur Conan Doyle selected as the setting for Sherlock Holmes ' murder by Professor Moriarty . Permission to build walking paths along
90-558: Is used in around 95,000 kilometres (59,000 mi) of tracks around the world. It was used by several European colonial powers including France, Britain and Germany in their colonies. In Europe, large metre-gauge networks remain in use in Switzerland, Spain and many European towns with urban trams , but most metre-gauge local railways in France , Germany and Belgium closed down in the mid-20th century, although some still remain. With
108-611: The Gorge was granted in 1887, and the walkway has been open to the public since 1889. From 1912 until 1956, the Meiringen–Reichenbach–Aareschlucht tramway linked the gorge's western entrance to Meiringen; since 1946 the Meiringen-Innertkirchen railway has also served the same purpose. The restaurant and kiosk at the western entrance was first built in 1928 and reconstructed in 1987. In 2003 a station
126-602: The line also operated a limited passenger service for workers and their families. In 1931 a battery railcar was purchased, and a second in 1939. In 1940, a military installation was constructed in caverns, which connected to the Kirchetunnel that by-passes the Aare Gorge , as well as to the gorge itself. A train parked in the tunnel provided offices and other facilities for this installation. The caverns and connecting tunnels still exist, but are no longer used. In 1946
144-602: The line in 1926 to support the development of the local hydroelectricity industry. It began carrying passengers in 1946 and the KWO spun off a new company, the Meiringen-Innertkirchen-Bahn (MIB), to operate it. KWO sold the company to the Zentralbahn at the end of 2020. The line serves a local transport role, as well as transporting tourists to the scenic Aare Gorge . The line was originally built as
162-512: The line received a licence to operate as a public passenger-carrying railway, and to this end the Meiringen-Innertkirchen-Bahn company was founded to operate the line as a subsidiary of the owners, KWO. When the license came up for renewal in 1976, it was decided to upgrade the line drastically. The heavy, four-wheel battery railcars were harsh on the track and trackbed, and were at the end of their economic life. The line
180-528: The line's workshops are also found. Passenger services are operated once or twice per hour, seven days a week, with connections into and out of most trains on the Brunig line. Trains comprise a single railcar. The operation of the Aareschlucht Ost stop is particularly notable, as the train stops within the tunnel, with its front door adjacent to a door in the side of the tunnel that opens out through
198-479: The line, used until passenger service was extended into the main station. The first stop on the line is at Alpbach. This is some 500 metres (1,600 ft) walk from the lower station of the Reichenbachfall Funicular , which takes visitors up to the famous Reichenbach Falls , the site of the apparent death of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 's fictional hero, Sherlock Holmes . For many years, Alpbach
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#1732800832193216-400: The line. The line begins at track 13 of Meiringen railway station , where it is physically connected to the Brünig line of the Zentralbahn company . Both lines are of 1,000 mm gauge, but are incompatible electrically, and no through passenger services are operated. Shortly after leaving the station, the line crosses a level crossing and passes the disused former passenger terminus of
234-565: The revival of urban rail transport, metre-gauge light metros were built in some cities. The slightly-wider 1,009 mm ( 3 ft 3 + 23 ⁄ 32 in ) gauge is used in Sofia . Another similar gauge is 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ). Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano 23,489 km (14,595 mi) Mailani - Nanpara Railway (operating) 641 km (398 mi) Dakar–Niger Railway Aare Gorge The Aare Gorge ( German : Aareschlucht )
252-661: The side of the gorge. The tunnel door is opened by the train driver only once the train has come to a halt. The stop is a request stop, and passengers wishing to board a train must press a button outside the tunnel door to request the train to stop. Freight traffic is run as demand warrants, largely carrying spare parts arriving via the Brünigbahn for the power stations . Metre gauge Metre-gauge railways ( US : meter-gauge railways ) are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 8 in ) or 1 metre . Metre gauge
270-533: The underground Aareschlucht Ost stop. Both Aareschlucht stops link to the tourist walkways through the gorge itself. After a further intermediate stop at Unterwasser, the line passes through the middle of Innertkirchen village, calling at the Innertkirchen Post stop, before ending at the KWO plant in Innertkirchen. Beyond the passenger terminus, the line continues into the KWO's workshops, where
288-404: Was built on the railway to serve the eastern entrance, along with a suspension bridge to link the station and entrance; a bistro and kiosk was added to this entrance in 2008. The path through the gorge is accessed by entrances at each end of the gorge, where an admission charge is levied. For most of its length the path is a wooden construction on a metal frame cantilevered out from the wall of
306-471: Was electrified and electric streetcar -type railcars were purchased. In 1996, a new railcar was purchased to run most services. In 2005, a second-hand railcar was purchased to act as reserve, allowing the former streetcars to be scrapped. In 2003, the underground Aareschlucht Ost stop was opened, to provide access to the eastern entrance to the Aare Gorge. On January 1, 2021, the Zentralbahn took over
324-523: Was the point at with the MIB made a level crossing with the Meiringen–Reichenbach–Aareschlucht line , a tramway that existed from 1912 to 1956. From Alpbach the line follows the north bank of the Aare river . The next stop is Aareschlucht West, just before the beginning of the scenic Aare Gorge or Aareschlucht. The line by-passes the gorge through the 1,502-metre (4,928 ft) long Kirchetunnel, which contains
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