Alpine intralogistics under the slopes of Sölden

During the ski season, around 4000 visitors per day are served with food and drinks at the Giggijoch in Sölden, Austria. But how are around 2000 kilos of fresh food transported up the mountain every day?

We'll let you in on a little secret: Below the slopes, there is a 150 metre-long tunnel which connects the top terminal to the Giggijoch mountain restaurant. In this tunnel, the Factory Train FT510 plays the leading role. Load trains like this one are mainly used in industry, on production and assembly lines.

The main strength of the load train Factory train is its extreme manoeuvrability – which it demonstrates perfectly at the Sölden ski resort. The tunnel presents the load train FT510 with many challenges such as steep 15 percent gradients, several narrow passages, bottlenecks and even an s-shaped curve at one point. And it is a bit of a tight squeeze: the space between the train and the wall is often only the width of your hand.

How can the load train Factory Trainn manoeuvre through the tunnel with two trailers without crashing? Simple: the trailers help to steer! Thanks to neon yellow arrow markings on the walls, the driver knows exactly when to manoeuvre.

The load train Factory Train has been in use since autumn 2016. Manuel Köll, Deputy Operations Manager of the Sölden Mountain Railway, is impressed. “We were looking for a truck which could be adapted to the conditions, and which could carry weight and – above all – tackle the gradient,” he explains. The solution offered by Linde Material Handling was perfect. “The trailers are second to none,” says Köll. “We can load all the goods from the truck into the nacelle and the load train, without the goods carrier needing to be changed.”