Le Remontoir (Le Locle)
Inclined elevator in Le Locle, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Le Remontoir is a funicular-like inclined elevator in Le Locle, Switzerland. It links the town's centre with Le Locle railway station[2] located above. With a length of 62 m, it climbs a difference of elevation of 24 m.[3][4][5] The lower station is located in Rue de la Côte at a small square named Sidmouth's Square.[6]
- "Centre-Ville" at Rue de la Côte / Sidmouth's Square
- "Gare"
| Le Remontoir | |
|---|---|
| |
| Overview | |
| Status | In operation |
| Owner | City of Le Locle |
| Locale | Le Locle, Switzerland |
| Termini |
|
| Stations | 2 |
| Service | |
| Type | Funicular (inclined elevator) |
| Rolling stock | 1 for 16 persons |
| Ridership | 1,117,068 runs (2015–2020)[1] |
| History | |
| Opened | 1 September 2014 |
| Tower project | 2010 |
| Inauguration | 13 June 2015 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 62 m (203 ft) |
| Number of tracks | 1 |
| Electrification | from opening |
| Highest elevation | 946 m (3,104 ft) |
History
When the railway line from Neuchatel to Le Locle was built in 1857, the current, off-centre site of the railway station was chosen for cost reason. It was maintained for the current station building of 1883. Projects in the 20th century sought to improve access.[7]
In 2010, the city unanimously approved funding for a project of two elevator towers linking the centre to the railway station.[7] Following concerns about its impact on the cityscape of the World Heritage site, Federal Office of Culture mandated Diener & Diener for an alternative. The resulting project with an inclined elevator[8][9][10] was compared to Polybahn.[10] The necessary additional funding[10] was approved in 2012.
The elevator was built by Inauen-Schätti.[4] It is named after the remontoir.
The elevator was opened to the public on 1 September 2014 [11][12] and officially inaugurated on 13 June 2015.
By 2016, it made an average of 530 runs per day.[13] There were 30 technical incidents in 2015.[13]
In 2016, the square at the lower station was named Sidmouth's Square.[6]
The 187,000 runs in 2018 represented 12,061 km.[14]
