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ItalianoUpdated 15.07.2022
On Friday, 15 July 2022, the new Gletscherexpress on the Pitztal Glacier successfully started its journey. The new futuristic funicular replaces the former "Gletscherexpress" feeder lift and brings guests a significantly increased ride comfort with a lot of technical innovation. In summer, the new Gletscherexpress also runs on 100 per cent electricity from the hotel's own PV system.
After the technical acceptance on 14 July 2022, the new Gletscherexpress on the Pitztal Glacier was put into operation today as planned. The new futuristic funicular replaces the former "Gletscherexpress" feeder lift after 38 years and now operates between the Mittelberg valley station (1,730 metres) and the mountain station on the Pitztal Glacier at 2,840 metres above sea level.
"My big thanks go to my team and our partners from Doppelmayr, Garaventa, Carvatec and FREY Austria, as well as all the other companies involved who have worked with us to realise the new Gletscherexpress," explains Franz Wackernell, Managing Director of Pitztaler Gletscherbahn. "In a strong team effort, we managed to keep to the tight schedule and put the lift into operation as planned today."
The ride comfort of the new "Gletscherexpress", which has remained unchanged in size and capacity, but adapted to current standards, compared to the existing lift, stood above all the ride comfort of the guests. The superstructure and the substructure are decoupled from each other, the wheels are rubber-sprung according to the latest state of the art. These were manufactured by the supplier KTZ - Konrad Traxl Antriebstechnik GmbH in Zams. The driving behaviour is quieter as a result. The noise level in the driver's cabins is lowered. "The ride comfort for our guests is significantly improved," Franz Wackernell, Managing Director of the Pitztal Gletscherbahn, is pleased to say. The new Gletscherexpress is the first funicular with first-class ride comfort based on Doppelmayr's D-Line concept.
In summer, the funicular is powered 100 percent by electricity from the company's own photovoltaic system. In addition, energy produced during the ride on the principle of a bicycle dynamo is used for the most important functions of the lift. An infotainment system from Kapsch provides passengers with real-time information and live images of the journey.
Key data for the new Glacier Express
Type of railway: Funicular railwayCableway control: Frey AG AustriaYear of construction: 2022 Train length: 29 metres Width: 2.1 metres Line layout: Single track with switch Maximum number of passengers: 200 Number of compartments per vehicle: 8 Drive: 4 motors with 2 gearboxes Vehicle: 200 FUL Bottom station: 1,730 m Top station: 2,840 m Length of track: 3,786.64 metres Travel time: 8 minutes
Contact for queries:
Sabine Fritzer, BRANDMEDIA, PR & Communications, Tel: +43 512 312 118-30 Email: s.fritzer@brandmedia.cc