---
title: "How the Rotating ‘Stoosbahn’ Train Climbs a Mountain as Steep as 47.7 Degrees"
description: "This unusual, ski village-connected train is a marvel of Swiss engineering."
date: "2021-11-16"
modified: "2021-11-16"
authors:
  - name: "James Gilboy"
    job_title: "Contributing Writer"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/james-gilboy"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/43145/how-the-rotating-stoosbahn-train-climbs-a-mountain-as-steep-as-47-7-degrees"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Trains"
---

# How the Rotating ‘Stoosbahn’ Train Climbs a Mountain as Steep as 47.7 Degrees

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2021/11/Screen-Shot-2021-11-16-at-11.34.27-AM-copy.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

There are some mighty strange trains out there, from those that [levitate using magnets](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/41649/373-mph-china-claims-its-built-the-worlds-fastest-train>) to those that [chew their way through snowdrifts with giant, spinning blades](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/8488/watch-union-pacifics-massive-rotary-snow-plow-train-blast-through-the-donner-pass>). Weird as they may be, though, they all look like the mini-train that runs through your local park compared to the purpose-built railway that serves the ski resort of Stoos in the Swiss Alps: The Stoosbahn. And it's responsible for getting up and down one of the steepest rides on earth.

![message-editor%2F1637080083227-screenshot2021-11-16at10.25.16am.png](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1637080083227-screenshot2021-11-16at10.25.16am.png>)
**YouTube**

The Stoosbahn is a short, 5,643-foot cable railway that connects the sleepy ski resort (which only has [around 100 full-time residents](<https://www.city-facts.com/stoos>)) to the outside world via the town of Schwyz. It's what's called a funicular, meaning it consists of two sets of rail cars counterbalancing each other on either end of a cable, which loops around a pulley at an operating station up top.

Whenever one car goes up, the other goes down, the two passing each other at a brief split in the tracks halfway up.

https://youtube.com/embed/2-jreSblE_c

What makes the Stoosbahn stand out is that it's [the world's steepest funicular](<https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/destinations/stoos/>), traveling up a grade as steep as 110 percent according to the [*BBC*](<https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-42384814>), or 47.7 degrees. It's not exactly easy to stand upright at that angle, so the Stoosbahn's rolling stock has been specially designed with rotating, cylindrical passenger cabins that stay level as the train ascends.

![message-editor%2F1637080736582-stoosbahn\_1.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1637080736582-stoosbahn_1.jpg>)
*YouTube*

![message-editor%2F1637080755568-stoosbahn\_2.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1637080755568-stoosbahn_2.jpg>)
*YouTube*

[*The Guardian*](<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/15/world-steepest-funicular-rail-line-open-switzerland>) reports the Stoosbahn took 14 years to plan and build, costing $53 million at the time of its opening in 2017. Riding it to its nearly 4,300-foot terminus is Stoos, however, is far quicker; the train reportedly moves at up to 22 mph, so the ride reportedly takes only four to seven minutes. It's also much cheaper, with an adult round-trip ticket only running the equivalent of $23.80 according to [Stoos's tourism site](<https://www.stoos.ch/en/stories/preise-winter>).

Considering amusement parks often cost considerably more to get into, and you still only get about as long on the rides, that seems like money well spent.

*Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: james@thedrive.com*

## Author
James is a former staff writer for The Drive. He has changed the conversation around electrification, debunked misinformation online, and become a prominent hunter of what he calls "automotive cryptids."

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/jamesgilboy>)