Mendola funicular

Infobox rail line
name = Mendola funicular


image_width =
caption =
type = passenger
system =
status =still working
start = Oltradige railroad station San Antonio
end = Passo della Mendola
stations = 2
open = October 19, 1903
close =
owner =
operator =
character =
stock =
linelength = 4,50 km
tracklength =
notrack =
gauge = 1000 mm
el = yes
speed =
elevation = |

The Mendola funicular, or Funicolare Mendola, connects the Oltreadige plateau with the Mendola Pass.

Track

In the twelve minutes of the journey the visitor rises 854 meters. The whole track is located in a rocky region sometimes covered by a forest, and this needs many bridges and tunnels.

History

The funicular was planned by Emil Strub to connect Bolzano with the Passo della Mendola. In 1903 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 made a journey around the Mendola.

Today

Today the line is still working, and often used by tourists to reach Mendola. In 2004 there has been an accident on the funicular, in which a driver lost his life.

Literature

* Josef Dultinger: "Vergessene Vergangenheit". Verlag Dr. Rudolf Erhard, Rum 1982
* Josef Dultinger: "Auf schmaler Spur durch Südtirol". Verlag Dr. Rudolf Erhard, Rum 1982