Avalanche Hits and Derails Villars Funicular

An avalanche has hit and derailed the funicular railway which takes skiers from the Swiss ski resort of Villars up to the heart of the ski area at Bretaye.

The train was empty of passengers at the time and only had its driver on board, who is described as "fine" after the accident.

The avalanche, on Wednesday afternoon, hit between Col de Soud and Col de Bretaye in the upper part of the track, sweeping two carriages of the three-carriage train from the line.

"Rescue has been on the scene to ensure no skiers were swept away and none appears to have been caught . Luckily no one else in the train line derailed and the driver, alone on board, is doing well," a Villars spokesperson said, adding, "Following the avalanche, trains between Col de Soud and Col de Bretaye are cancelled until at least Friday."

The avalanche happened following heavy snowfall in the region after a largely dry start to 2022. There are several alternative routes up to Bretaye from the outskirts of Villars

Crikey - one lucky driver!

Fortunately, the driver was in the front car, which was only slightly derailed. The Villars - Bretaye section of the Bex–Villars–Bretaye railway is actually a metre gauge rack railway and not a funicular. The railcar that was swept off the track weighs over 25 tons so it must have been a fairly big avalanche.

It is expected that the section of track between the Col de Soud and the Col de Bretaye will remain closed until at least Sunday evening.

The Vaud public prosecutor has opened an investigation to determine the cause of the avalanche.