With full capacity into the Birg-Schilthorn ski resort

Just in time for the start of the busy winter season, the second Funifor cableway between Mürren and Birg will go into operation on Friday, 28^th November 2025. This brings the line’s full capacity to 800 passengers per hour. The construction phase – from cable pulling to commissioning – took six months.

Almost a year after the opening of the first Funifor cable car between Mürren and Birg, the second track will also go into operation on Friday, 28^th November 2025. It is the second-to-last installation to be inaugurated as part of the major SCHILTHORNBAHN 20XX project. The staggered opening highlights an important feature of the new cable cars: they are mechanically independent. If necessary, for example in the event of maintenance, only one track needs to be shut down, enabling operation 365 days a year. “In normal operation, the two tracks are electrically coupled and operated as a ‘classic’ aerial tramway,” explains Daniel Gertsch, Head of cable cars at Schilthorn Cableway Ltd. Each cabin provides space for 100 people; together they achieve a maximum capacity of 800 people per hour. “This increase in capacity comes at just the right time,” says Gertsch, looking ahead to the upcoming winter peak season.

The Funifor

What does Funifor actually mean? “A Funifor is an aerial cableway with two parallel suspension cables, the distance between which is approximately equal to or greater than the width of the cable car cabins below”, explains cable car expert Gertsch. On the Funifor cableways on the Schilthorn, the track width of the suspension cables is 4.6 meters, while the cabins are 3.75 meters wide. The large distance between the carrying cables prevents transverse swaying and thus guarantees high wind stability. Between Mürren and Birg, the cable cars cover a distance of 2765 meters. The cables are supported only by a 58-meter-high pylon in the lower part of the route. To keep the sag of the traction cables to a minimum, orange intermediate cable hangers are mounted at regular intervals on each track. At a remarkable speed of 12 meters per second – around 43 kilometers per hour – the cabins cover the 1036 meters of altitude between the stations in just five minutes. Both cable cars are designed for unattended operation. The second track can also be operated with up to eight tons of sub-load.

„Brought to life piece by piece“

The construction of the second Funifor track began immediately after the old cable car was dismantled last April. After successfully pulling the cable over the summer months, the cabin was attached at the beginning of September. “A cable car is brought to life piece by piece,” says Gertsch. “First, we check the entire control system for the safety report and measure the distances during the journey on pylons and stations. It is also important to set the brake hydraulics correctly, followed by brake tests under full load”, says Gertsch, listing some of the necessary tasks before commissioning. Finally, the Federal Office of Transport carries out an inspection – without this, no cable car is allowed to go into operation. “Even though it may appear from the outside that no progress is being made, all these tasks are extremely time-consuming”, emphasizes Gertsch. The same process will begin again at the start of the year when the last cable car of the project is built between Birg and Schilthorn. Its opening is planned for the beginning of April 2026.