Funicular Rigiblick


The Funicular Rigiblick is a funicular railway in the north-east of the city of Zürich, Switzerland. It links a lower station served by Zürich tram routes 9 and 10 and Zürich trolleybus route 33, with an upper station at Rigiblick on the Zürichberg hill.
The Rigiblick funicular is one of two funiculars within the city of Zürich, the other being the Polybahn funicular in the city centre. Additionally, the city's Dolderbahn rack railway was originally a funicular, until its conversion to rack working in the 1970s.

History

The line first operated on 4 April 1901.
In the early 1950s it was refurbished, replacing the original wooden cable cars with metal bodied cars in a red colour scheme.
A further refurbishment in the late 1970s resulted in an extension at the upper end of the line, and the introduction of the current cars, in blue and white.
Over summer 2025, the stations were renovated and the line received new wagons from Garaventa. The funicular resumed service on 26 September 2025.

Operation

The line is operated by the Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich, the municipal transport operator for the city of Zürich, and carries around 600 000 passengers per year. It has the following parameters:
FeatureValue
Number of cars2
Number of stops5
ConfigurationSingle track with passing loop
Mode of operationAutomated
Track length
Rise
Average gradient25.3%
Maximum gradient36%
Track gauge
Capacity30 passengers per car
Maximum speed
Travel time2 minutes
FrequencyEvery 6 minutes or more often if traffic demands

The standard Zürcher Verkehrsverbund zonal fare tariffs apply, with the whole of the line being within fare zone 110.