‘Swiss engineering at its best’: the steepest cable car in the world
A section of the Schilthornbahn cableway, which recently opened for business in central Switzerland, is the latest example of breathtaking engineering going through or up the Swiss Alps. But how steep is it?
I used to have an upstairs neighbour who, leaning over his balcony, would lower a bucket on a rope down to his cat, waiting patiently below. The cat would then hop in and get pulled up. I thought of that neighbour – and cat – when I read about the world’s steepest cable car in the Bernese Oberland.
The lowest of three sections of the CHF100 million ($110 million) Schilthornbahn 20XXExternal link project opened on December 13 and carries passengers between Stechelberg and Mürren at a gradient of up to 159.4%.
“Absolutely fantastic what all the employees have achieved here! Phenomenal!” said @cobra1010 in response to this video by the construction firmExternal link. “It takes a lot of intelligence, skill and hard work to get something like this up and running! Swiss engineering at its best!”
But what does 159.4% mean? Well, you’re not in a bucket, but it’s steep: for every metre you travel horizontally, you go almost 1.60 metres vertically (in degrees, it’s almost 58°). The Stoosbahn in canton Schwyz, the steepest funicular railway in the world, reaches a gradient of 110% (47°).
Being whisked from Stechelberg to Mürren at seven metres per second, you climb 775 metres in four minutes – get ready for those ears to start popping!
Because it’s so steep, the two cabins are each suspended from an 11-metre arm. Everything is automatic – no staff are on board – but cameras and sensors are always in operation. Each cabin can hold up to 85 people, and the plan is to transport 800 people per hour at full capacity.
“I’m very proud to have been involved in this impressive project – even if we had to work at dizzying heights!” said @Saw4825.
Although the Schilthornbahn cable car hasn’t been recognised by the Guinness World Records yet, plenty of other Swiss feats of engineering have been:
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Function and aesthetics
I know this area well, having spent a lot of time in Mürren, a glorious car-free eyrie perched on the edge of a vertical cliff, part of the stunning Lauterbrunnen valley. Back then, if you wanted to get from Stechelberg (on the valley floor) to the Schilthorn (the peak), you had to do it in four sections: Stechelberg to Gimmelwald, Gimmelwald to Mürren, Mürren to Birg, and finally Birg to the Schilthorn. The whole ascent at peak times could take almost an hour.
Now, the first section goes directly from Stechelberg to Mürren (the old cable car still stops at Gimmelwald). According to Schilthornbahn AG, the full travel time from Stechelberg to the Schilthorn has been reduced from 32 minutes to 22 minutes – and optimised connections mean that even at peak times it shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes.
In this video, the architects of the new Schilthorn stations explain how they combined practical function with aesthetics, embedding the cable cars in the mountain landscape and preserving this form of mountain transport as a cultural assetExternal link:
So the lowest of the three sections, Stechelberg-Mürren, opened on December 13 – as did one of two parallel Funifor cable carsExternal link covering the middle Mürren-Birg section (the second cable car is set to open on November 28). For the moment, however, Birg is as high as you’re getting. The Schilthorn itself is inaccessible until March 15, when the first of two Funifor cable cars opens between Birg and the Schilthorn (the second cable car on this section – and the entire project – is scheduled for completion in spring 2026).
Ups and downs
The Schilthorn, and its revolving restaurant, Piz Gloria, is already known around the world thanks to its appearance in the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. The world’s steepest cable car will probably attract even more visitors – the news was covered by media outlets around the world, from BrazilExternal link to IndiaExternal link.
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However, while pumping 800 people an hour up the mountain might be good for the economy, the spectre of overtourism threatens the environment and local communities with issues including traffic, inflation, pollution and littering.
Permanent residents are in a difficult position: they know that while it’s sometimes difficult to live with the constant influx of day-trippers, skiers, hikers, paragliders and BASE jumpers, it would be impossible to live without them. Mürren, for example, has about 400 year-round residents and 2,000 hotel beds.
“The new Schilthornbahn is a truly fascinating technical achievement,” reader Donat Greutmann admitted in response to an article on the project in the Berner Oberländer newspaperExternal link, but he had concerns. “How will Lauterbrunnen and the entire Jungfrau region deal with the increasing flow of tourists up mountains and in the valley? Mass tourism is developing in Lauterbrunnen, which is already going against all reason. All the charms of this so beautiful village are being pushed to an unbearable level with the construction of the new cable car.”
“We’re in despair. The locals simply have no place left in Lauterbrunnen,” one local told Swiss public broadcaster, SRF, in 2023. Lauterbrunnen is now considering Venice-style entry fees for tourists.
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While Switzerland Tourism speaks of “selective local and temporal bottlenecks” rather than overtourism, in July its director said it took “these local situations very seriously”. In an attempt to improve the situation, Switzerland Tourism is working with tour operators to promote the joys of Switzerland in the low season, and above all locations off the beaten tourist path.
As for the steepest cable car in the world, from March 15, visitors will be able to enjoy stunning views from the top of the Schilthorn 365 days a year.
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