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Eigerwand is a currently disused underground
Eigerwand is a currently disused underground railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
on the Jungfrau railway
The Jungfrau Railway (german: Jungfraubahn, JB) is a mountain railway in the Bernese Alps, connecting Kleine Scheidegg in the Bernese Oberland to the Jungfraujoch, across the Valais border. The railway, which uses a and racks, runs from the st ...
, which runs to the Jungfraujoch
The Jungfraujoch (German: lit. "maiden saddle") is a saddle connecting two major 4000ers of the Bernese Alps: the Jungfrau and the Mönch. It lies at an elevation of above sea level and is directly overlooked by the rocky prominence of the Sphinx ...
from Kleine Scheidegg
The Kleine Scheidegg ( en, Little Scheidegg) is a mountain pass at an elevation of , situated below and between the Eiger and Lauberhorn peaks in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. The name means "minor watershed", as it only divides the ...
. The station is situated just behind the north wall of the Eiger
The Eiger () is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland, just north of the main watershed and border with Valais. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends a ...
, and its principal purpose was to allow passengers to observe the view through a series of windows carved into the rock face. Trains to Jungfraujoch used to stop at the station for five minutes.
However, since late 2016, after the introduction of new, faster, rolling stock
The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can b ...
, the Jungfraubahn no longer stops here. Indeed, much of the 2017 publicity material fails to acknowledge that this viewpoint station ever existed.
The station opened on 28 June 1903, with the extension of the Jungfraubahn from its previous temporary terminus at Rotstock station. After further construction, the line was extended to Eismeer station on 25 July 1905, and Eigerwand became an intermediate stop.
Administratively, the station is in the municipality of Grindelwald in the canton of Bern
The canton of Bern or Berne (german: Kanton Bern; rm, Chantun Berna; french: canton de Berne; it, Canton Berna) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. ...
. However, the only access to the station other than by train is a door in the sheer face of the mountain. This has, on occasion, been used to rescue mountaineers stranded on the mountain, most famously during the 1936 Eiger north face climbing disaster.
It also lies right next to the Stollenloch, an exit and unofficial stop which is typically used by mountaineers to bypass the lower approach of the North Face.
Prior to its closure, the following passenger trains operated:
See also
*List of highest railway stations in Switzerland
This is a list of railway stations in Switzerland located at an elevation over 1,200 metres above sea level. Switzerland includes most of the highest railways of Europe and therefore also includes its highest railway stations, both underground a ...
References
External links
* Railway stations in the canton of Bern Eiger Railway stations opened in 1903 1903 establishments in Switzerland {{Switzerland-railstation-stub