Next to the departure station of the Ritom Funicular is the historic building (1921) of the Ritom hydroelectric power plant, equipped with 4 Pelton turbines with a nominal flow rate of 6.7 m3/s in total, for an installed power of 44MW. It annually supplies around 155 million KWH energy at the frequency of 16.7 Hz used to traction trains on the Gotthard railway line.
This production corresponds to about 8% of the energy consumed annually for the traction of trains in Switzerland. The funicular route runs alongside the plant’s penstocks, 1367m long for a jump of 843m.
The high slope (87.8%) makes the Ritom Funicular one of the steepest in Europe.
Guided tours of the hydroelectric power plant are organized for groups. Discover all the secrets of this environmentally friendly energy!
For information and reservations, please write to fuehrungen@sbb.ch.