BUSSNANG, Switzerland — No one has ever thought of cog railways as fast. Stadler and the meter-gauge Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn railway are working to change that.
The two companies on Tuesday unveiled what they say is the world’s fastest rack-and-pinion railway, operating on the MGB branch line connecting Andermatt and Göshenen, Switzerland.
The Stadler Orion multiple-unit trainset introduced this week can travel downhill on the line, with its 18.1% grade, at speeds up to 30 kilometers per hour (18.6 mph) — still not exactly blazing, but nearly a 50% increase over the previously allowed top speed of 21 km/h (13 mph). The change will allow the railroad to shave 4 minutes off the route’s current 15-minute travel time, allowing the railroad to operate the every-half-hour service with just one trainset, instead of two.
The higher speed is possible because of a newly developed braking system, known as “v+.”
“From now on, other rack railways can also benefit from and use the new innovative braking system for new purchases,” Christoph Leiterer, head of engineering for the Tailor Made area at Stadler, said in a press release. “Today, we celebrate innovation. A heartfelt thank you to MGBahn for their outstanding collaboration.” The federal government provided financial support for the project and the Federal Office of Transport authorized the new system.
The Andermatt-Göshenen branch connects the MGB’s main line, part of the route of the Glacier Express, to the standard-gauge Swiss Federal Railways and the Treno Gottardo passenger service operated by Südostbahn [see “Gotthard Pass Revival,” Trains Magazine, March 2024].
Gorgeous Switzerland… A small country with a great passenger rail system.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
Very closed info about this so called improved braking system. Maybe some kind of dynamic or regenerations braking for low speeds?