It links the Furka railway station, in Uri, with the Muttbach-Belvédère halting point, in Valais.

As soon as snow started falling, the FO had to be ready to place individual items of rolling stock on either side of the Furka, according to demand.

The Steffenbach bridge, on the Uri side of the summit tunnel, was built initially as a viaduct.

In the years when winter came early, locomotives and railcars sometimes had to be loaded onto standard gauge vehicles, to be transported from either Göschenen or Chur to Brig or vice versa, on the side of the pass where they were needed.

The incident cost several lives, including that of a journalist who had been along, which spurred the construction of the Furka Base Tunnel.

Since 11 July 1992 (1992-07-11), the abandoned line has been progressively reopened from Realp, as a heritage railway operated by the DFB.

On 14 July 2000 (2000-07-14), the DFB was extended from its then temporary terminus at Furka to Gletsch, via the Summit Tunnel, which was simultaneously reopened, and Muttbach-Belvédère.