Locarno–Madonna del Sasso Funicular

The funicular carries passengers from Locarno city centre to Orselina on a curving route of 811 m. It passes three intermediate stations - Grand Hôtel (closed since 2005), Belvedere and the pilgrimage site of the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Sasso. Construction began in 1904 and the line opened in 1906. It was built by the Swiss engineering company Von Roll. The track rises 173 m with a variable gradient of a maximum of 30 per cent. The single track with a passing loop is operated by an electric motor. The original wooden cars were replaced with the current steel carriages in 1958. Each car can hold up to 70 passengers. The line includes an 85-m tunnel and an impressive viaduct with eleven arches across a rocky ravine. The funicular now transports some 350,000 people a year. From the final stop in Orselina, visitors can take a cable car and then a chairlift to the summit of Cimetta at 1,671 m.

 

Locarno–Madonna del Sasso Funicular
Funicolare Locarno-Madonna del Sasso
Viale Francesco Balli 2
6600 Locarno
Switzerland
+41 (0) 91 - 7511123
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