Dorfbahn - The Serfaus subway

The Dorfbahn Serfaus -  some features of the Dorfbahn Serfaus are like a subway: It operates in Serfaus independent of individual traffic and along its entire length in a tunnel. Our subway Serfaus is considered as the smallest and highest aircourse underground train in the world.

 

The Serfaus undergrund / subway.

More than 3 decades the Dorfbahn Serfaus is in operation. In the 1980s, it was a world-new innovation and transported about 1,600 persons per hour. Now the village railway Serfaus is completely renewed and it is able to transport up to 3,000 persons per hour in the final expansion.

All stations offer barrier-free access as well as platforms with modern infotainmant systems. The train itself consists of 3 continuous weighers and offer plenty of space and comfort inside. Wider access doors also offer more comfort for entering and getting our of the train.

 

Advantages for guest of our house:

  • Barrier-free access in 200 meters from our house
  • Easier access by avoiding the incline at the church
  • Fast and easy access to the cable cars of Serfaus

 

 

Technical data of the Serfaus underground train:

  • Performance per hour: up to 3,000 people
  • Traveling intervals: 9 minutes
  • Car: 3 cars in Serfaus design
  • Total length of cars: 44.50 m
  • Driving speed: 11m/sec

 

 

The histrory of Dorfbahn Serfaus.

Serfaus already realised in the 70’s that due to its traffic engineering location, the possibility existed to keep the village totally free from traffic. This was mainly because the main road from Ried ended here and therefore there was no through traffic in the village. After construction of a huge car park at the beginning of the village a ban on traffic was installed. These measures gave Serfaus an image for years of being quiet and peaceful. To then transport the skiers from one end of the village to the lifts at the other side, the railway bus

transportation was constructed. At the beginning this functioned extremely well, however the number of guests has increased too much for the bus transportation.

For this reason the local authorities in Serfaus decided in the spring of 1983 to look for another solution to the traffic situation. After intensive research a revolutionary solution was discovered: A hover cushion railway which runs underneath the village through a tunnel.

The Serfaus village railway runs the whole stretch on one track and operates completely automatically. For the completely automatic operation to follow safety standards, the tunnel is separated from the platforms with a wall. Sliding doors are installed in the separatingwalls.

 

The advantages of this transport systems are as follows:

  • smooth running carriages completely vibration free
  • approx. 30% weight saving in the carriages
  • minimal friction and therefore low material deterioration
  • no track abrasion during normal operation
  • higher safety factor due to simple emergency brake operation by means of compressor deactivation
  • minor maintenance costs

 

The underground interlaces of the hover cushion railway were favored by all involved as the only possible construction method for preservation of the townscape, environmental conservation, independence from weather conditions and effect on the already crowded space available.

 

Serfaus village railway technical details (until 2019):

  • Max. height difference on the driving route: 20,10 meters
  • Max. decline on the route: 5,35%
  • Train rope diameter: 29mm
  • Number of rope sheaves: 426
  • Capacity: 1,800 persons per hour
  • Duration of travel circuit: 10,8 minutes
  • Average transported persons per year: 833,000
  • Total building costs: ATS 138,3 million

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