Marzili Funicular Railway

Marzilibahn funicular, Bern
In 66 seconds between the Aare and the upper town (just below the Federal Palace)
The Marzilibahn was opened in 1885 under the name Aarziele cable car. It connects the Marzili district with the Federal Terrace. Construction work began on March 3, 1895, and the Marzilibahn was already running on July 18, 1895, one day before the start of the federal shooting festival. Incredible when you compare it with today's construction times.
Water ballast was the drive. The water came from the Bern city stream and was located in an underground reservoir north of the mountain station. The driver of the carriage traveling downhill could control the speed using a hand crank on the brake gear running in the middle rack. If the vehicle exceeded speed, an emergency stop was made, which could also be triggered manually. Filling the water tank took 7.5 minutes, which led to waiting times. In 1929, an injector was installed that reduced the filling time to 45 seconds.
The old Marzilibähnli ran for the last time on September 23, 1973. The water ballast railway became a motor-driven funicular railway with an Abt'scher siding. It was commissioned on April 5, 1974. One old water ballast car is located at the Marzili valley station, the other in the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne.
A fundamental modernization took place in the winter of 2014/2015. The focus is on a new steel structure along the entire route. Modern rooms and workshops for the staff were created in the mountain station. The Marzilibahn has been running again since May 1, 2015.
This funicular makes an average of 330 trips per day. This is a Swiss record for funicular railways. The Marzilibahn transports over 1,000,000 passengers per year.
Text / Source: standseilbahnen.ch - Funicular
marzilibahn.ch
standseilbahnen.ch/bern-marzili

The Marzilibahn (officially: Marzili-Stadt Bern cable car) is a small funicular railway in Bern that connects the Marzili district on the banks of the Aare with the Federal Terrace in the old town. It was opened in 1885 and is one of the oldest funicular railways in Europe. The journey only takes about a minute and offers a beautiful view of the city.

The funicular takes you very quickly from the federal terrace down to the Aare, to the youth hostel and to the Marzilibad