Zürichsee-Fähre Horgen–Meilen

The Zürichsee-Fähre Horgen–Meilen, or Horgen–Meilen car ferry, is a Swiss car ferry that operates across Lake Zurich between the lakeside towns of Horgen and Meilen. The ferry route is situated 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of the city of Zurich, and the ferry avoids a round trip by road of some 30 kilometres (19 mi) by road via that city.

Zürichsee-Fähre Horgen-Meilen AG

Company type	Joint-stock company
Industry	Transport
Founded	1932
Headquarters	Meilen , Switzerland
Area served	Lake Zurich
Net income	784,160.36 Swiss franc (2017)
Total assets	19,434,323 Swiss franc (2017)
Website	http://www.faehre.ch/

The Horgen ferry terminal, with Schwan, Meilen and Horgen alongside.

The Meilen ferry terminal, as seen from a ferry just about to depart.

History

The propeller of the 1933-built Schwan, displayed at the Horgen ferry terminal.

The company was founded in 1932, with operation commencing in November 1933. Initially the service was run with the single ferry Schwan, built for the opening, and providing a half-hourly service. Service was suspended between 1942 and 1946, as a consequence of Second World War. From 1946, the ferry was reintroduced with an hourly service.

Over time, demand rose so that a continuous shuttle operation had to be introduced. In 1968 a replacement vessel, also known as Schwan, was launched and took over the service, providing a half-hourly service. The propeller of the 1933-built Schwan is displayed at the Horgen ferry terminal. In 1973 a new approach to the Horgen ferry terminal was constructed, with a bridge over the lakeside railway line, allowing the previously used level crossing to be closed.

Over the following years, four further ferries were constructed, allowing a more frequent service to be provided. These were the Meilen (1979), the Horgan (1991), the Zürisee (1999) and the Burg (2003). Also in 1999, the second Schwan was rebuilt. In 2017 a further new ferry was built, named Meilen, in order to replace the 1979-built vessel of the same name. The earlier vessel was dismantled the following year, although its wheelhouse and Voith Schneider propeller were retained to form part of an exhibition on ferries at the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne.

Operation

On the Horgen side of the lake, the ferries operate from a ferry terminal with its own road-bridge across the lakeside railway line, and some 600 metres (2,000 ft) on foot along the lakeside promenade from Horgen railway station. On the Meilen side of the lake, the ferries operate from a ferry terminal on Seestrasse, a similar distance from Meilen railway station.

Ferries operate from early morning to late evening. Ferries operate every 10 minutes throughout the day, with frequencies increasing to every 6 or 7 minutes in peak periods. The crossing time is 10 minutes.

In 2011, 69,950 ferry crossings were operated, carrying in total 2,192,175 people, 1,226,540 cars, and 99,470 trucks. By 2019 these figures had changed slightly, with 68,646 crossings, 2,033,215 people carried, and 1,336,330 vehicles carried.

Fleet

Current fleet

The ferry service is operated with a fleet of five motor ferries:

Name	Length	Width	Cars	Passengers	Builder	Built	Rebuilt	Image
Schwan	45.9 metres (151 ft)	13 metres (43 ft)	36	300	Bodan-Werft GmbH	1969	1999
Horgen	49.5 metres (162 ft)	13 metres (43 ft)	40	300	Bodan-Werft GmbH	1991
Zürisee	55 metres (180 ft)	13 metres (43 ft)	44	300	Bodan-Werft GmbH	1999
Burg	55 metres (180 ft)	13 metres (43 ft)	44	300	Bodan-Werft GmbH	2003
Meilen	60 metres (200 ft)	13.5 metres (44 ft)	48	300	ÖSWAG, Linz	2017

Former fleet

The ferry service has previously operated two other ferries:

Name	Length	Width	Cars	Passengers	Builder	Built	Withdrawn	Image
Schwan						1933	1969
Meilen	48.5 metres (159 ft)	12.2 metres (40 ft)	40	300	Bodan-Werft GmbH	1979	2017

See also

• Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft, the main passenger ferry operator on Lake Zurich

External links

• Official web site of the Horgen–Meilen ferry (in German)