Mendel funicular

Mendel funicular
Mendel funicular
Overview
Status	operational
Termini	Sankt Anton, Kaltern; Mendel Pass;
Stations	2
Service
Type	passenger
History
Opened	October 19, 1903
Technical
Line length	2.37 km (1.47 mi)
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
Electrification	yes

The Mendel Funicular, (German: Mendelbahn, Italian: Funicolare della Mendola [funikoˈlaːre della ˈmendola]) is a funicular railway in Italy. It connects the Überetsch plateau with the Mendel Pass.

Track edit

In the twelve minutes of the journey trains rise 854 metres (2,802 ft). The whole track is located in a rocky region sometimes covered by a forest, and this needs many bridges and tunnels.

History edit

The funicular was planned by Emil Strub as part of a link to connect Bolzano with the Mendel Pass, by linking to the St. Anton terminus of the Überetsch Railway. In 1903 Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria opened the line itself after nearly one year of construction. The line was at the time one of the lengthiest funiculars in Europe. Until 1934 tourists could use the funicular and some other railways to make a journey around the Mendel.

Today edit

Today^[when?] the line is still working, and often used by tourists to reach the Mendel Pass. In 2004 there was an accident on the funicular, in which a driver lost his life.