In 1889, the Zürichbergbahn, as the Polybahn was originally called, went into service. Today, the popular means of transport serves around two million passengers a year (before the Covid 19 pandemic). Students in particular like to use the cosy connection between Central and the universities. This earned the system the nickname Student Express some time ago.

This summer, the lift was given an all-round makeover by Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich and Garaventa AG.

New drive with shifting device

The most fundamental renewal is the drive, which is now completely located on a shifting device. This compensates for the different track lengths of tracks 1 and 2.

Normally this is done by a separate pulley shifting device. However, due to the tight space conditions in the engine room dating from 1889, this was not possible. Therefore, the project team developed a new concept in which the sliding drive of the Funifor ropeway system served as a template.

In concrete terms, the control system now calculates the distance by which the drive must be moved so that the stopping point in the valley station can be precisely maintained. With this concept, changes in the length of the haul rope can also be compensated. An essential element of this technical solution is the buffer with shock absorber in the bottom station. Stephan Kobler, Polybahn’s technical manager, is satisfied: “With the solution developed by Garaventa, the boarding and alighting situation is very comfortable for our passengers.”