User:Mackensen/Freigleis

The Freigleis is a 2 km-long shared-use path in the city of Lucerne, Switzerland. The path uses the former right-of-way of the Brünig railway line of the Zentralbahn. The path opened in stages between 2016 and 2020, and currently runs from the Steghof, in the center of Lucerne and near the main railway station, south to the Kriens Mattenhof railway station in the municipality of Kriens.

History
The Jura–Bern–Lucerne Railway (Jura–Bern–Lucerne-Bahn) extended its metre gauge line from Alpnachstad to Lucerne in 1889. By the early 2000s the line, which hosted the Zentralbahn's long-distance trains to Interlaken Ost and Engelberg as well as various Lucerne S-Bahn services, suffered from capacity problems. In Lucerne itself, the line was single-tracked, with five level crossings. A major engineering project, undertaken between 2007–2012, replaced this alignment with an underground route. This included two tunnels and a new station, Luzern Allmend/Messe, serving the Swissporarena. At the time of the new line's opening in December 2012, the city government preferred converting the abandoned right-of-way into a rail trail for use by bicyclists and pedestrians.

Route
The Freigleis begins at Sternmattstrasse, a short distance west of the Lucerne railway station. It then follows the Eschenstrasse west, gradually curving south between Arsenlstrasse and Schäferweg. It passes adjacent to the Südpol Luzern performing arts center. Finally, the path connects with the Kriens Mattenhof station, linking up with the re-aligned railway line. The path crosses three streets: Moosmattstrasse, Horwerstrasse, and Eichwaldstrasse.