The "Pfänderbahn" is a cable car in Bregenz in the Austrian province of Vorarlberg. It connects the valley at 419 meters above sea level with the 1022 meter high mountain station near the "Pfänderspitze".
Originally, the establishment of a cog railway was considered, but it was eventually decided for cost and ease of use in times of heavy snow. The "Pfänderbahn" was built from July 1926 to February 1927 and opened on 20 March 1927 by President Michael Hainish. Construction work was undertaken by Adolf Bleichert & Co. of Leipzig. Plans for the station buildings were by Bregenz architect Willibald Braun.
The height difference of 603 meters is covered in a total distance of 2063 meters using a dual aerial tramway. The sloping portions comprises about 1980 meters; the horizontal portion about 80 meters. At an average slope of 31%, the cabins move with a speed of up to twelve feet per second. The journey takes six minutes, with a turnaround of 10 minutes.
The gondolas are powered by two 500 kW DC electric motors. Power supply to the cable car is via two separate power supplies. In addition, an emergency generator and batteries are available. Communication between valley and mountain stations is analogous via the cable itself.
source: Wikipedia