#PioneeringSpirit
Project TitlisTitlis cableways25.06.2024
Technical feat of engineering on Titlis: As part of a joint project between Titlis Cableways and Kantonales Elektrizitätswerk Nidwalden (EWN), a narrow tunnel measuring just under 800 metres long has been drilled into the limestone at the peak. As a result of this new tunnel, water, electricity and data will soon be carried to 3,000 metres above sea level. This project simplifies operations, enhances the landscape and contributes to sustainability.
A service line to the very top
Mesmerized, those present stare at the loose stones on the floor of the tunnel beneath the telecommunications tower on Titlis. Cracking and crunching noises come from within the rock, and then the stones begin to move as if by magic – and a rotating drill head the size of a football breaks through the surface. Cheers erupt at 3,000 metres above sea level. The breakthrough has been made.
The project has taken around 9 months. From the base station of the "Ice Flyer" chair lift, located 150 metres further down the mountain, a tunnel measuring just under 800 metres has been drilled via GPS into the limestone – deep beneath the glacier – to right under the telecommunications tower. This feat was achieved by Schenk AG (Lake Constance) who specialize in this kind of directional drilling. "It's impossible to lay service lines in a glacier that is constantly moving", explains drill technician Patrick Angst in the construction log video. "This is why we drilled the hole below the ice in order to ensure safety."
Water, electricity and data for the peak
The narrow tunnel will now be cleared and flushed out until it is wide enough to hold various pipes and cables, which will eventually supply the planned new buildings at the peak with fresh water, electricity and data, as well as connecting them to the sewage system. Electricity is currently transmitted via a 50-year-old overhead line that is anchored in permafrost and a sewage treatment plant even had to be built for the water supply at the peak. "The new service line comes as a huge relief and will simplify operations at the peak", says Titlis CEO Norbert Patt.
The laying of the new power supply line on Titlis is a joint project between Titlis Cableways and Kantonales Elektrizitätswerk Nidwalden (EWN). The work on the glacier is a challenge that is not to be underestimated, stresses Ivo Häfliger, Network Director at EWN: "Transporting construction machinery up to 2,850 metres above sea level is logistically problematic in itself, never mind the geological challenges and, of course, the weather."
Landscape conservation and sustainability
EWN is proud that the project is also helping to preserve the landscape and the sustainability of operations at the peak. The overhead power line, which runs parallel to the chair lift over the glacier, will be dismantled over the coming years. And thanks to the new underground service line, it will be possible to replace the oil heating at the peak with a modern heat pump.
The new line should be in operation later this summer. This will be the first milestone achieved within the context of the TITLIS project, which is set to be completed in 2029 and will see Titlis become home to world-class architecture for future generations. The new single-line cableway between Stand and Titlis should open by the end of the year, and the new viewing tower is expected to be completed by 2026. The new mountain station is set to open in 2029.
All the information on Herzog & de Meuron's iconic architecture at the peak can be found here.