The Jungfrau Railway (german: Jungfraubahn, JB) is a mountain railway in the
Bernese Alps
, topo_map= Swiss Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
, photo=BerneseAlps.jpg
, photo_caption=The Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau
, country= Switzerland
, subdivision1_type=Cantons
, subdivision1=
, parent= Western Alps
, borders_on=
, l ...
, connecting
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 ...
in the
Bernese Oberland
The Bernese Oberland ( en, Bernese Highlands, german: Berner Oberland; gsw, Bärner Oberland; french: Oberland bernois), the highest and southernmost part of the canton of Bern, is one of the canton's five administrative regions (in which context ...
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 ...
, across the
Valais
Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 ...
border. The railway, which uses a and
racks
Rack or racks may refer to:
Storage and installation
* Amp rack, short for amplifier rack, a piece of furniture in which amplifiers are mounted
* Bicycle rack, a frame for storing bicycles when not in use
* Bustle rack, a type of storage bin m ...
, runs from the station of
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 ...
() 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 ...
(). It is
the highest railway in Switzerland and Europe, the Jungfraujoch being the highest railway station on the continent and well above the perennial
snow line
The climatic snow line is the boundary between a snow-covered and snow-free surface. The actual snow line may adjust seasonally, and be either significantly higher in elevation, or lower. The permanent snow line is the level above which snow wil ...
. As a consequence, the railway runs essentially within the Jungfrau Tunnel, built into the neighbouring
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
Mönch
The Mönch (, German: "monk") at is a mountain in the Bernese Alps, in Switzerland. Together with the Eiger and the Jungfrau, it forms a highly recognisable group of mountains, visible from far away.
The Mönch lies on the border between the ca ...
, to protect the line from snow and extreme weather. Another particularity of the Jungfrau Railway is the high elevation of its starting point, at the hub of Kleine Scheidegg, also the highest in Europe.
The Jungfrau Railway got its name from the highest of the three high peaks above it: the
Jungfrau
The Jungfrau ( "maiden, virgin"), at is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps, located between the northern canton of Bern and the southern canton of Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch. Together with the Eiger and Mönch, the J ...
( en, maiden, virgin; ), the latter mountain being the initial goal of the project. A lift connecting the summit of the Jungfrau with an underground railway was planned. In 1912, the project finally ended at the Jungfraujoch, the saddle between the Mönch and Jungfrau. It was nevertheless
one of the highest railways in the world at the time of inauguration.
The Jungfrau Railway includes three additional stations. The initial open-air section culminates just after
Eigergletscher
The Eiger Glacier (german: Eigergletscher) is a glacier situated on the north-west side of the Eiger in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland. The glacier is within the Lauterbrunnen, municipality of Lauterbrunnen in the canton of Bern.
In 1973 it had a ...
(2,320 m), at around 2,350 metres, which makes it the second highest open-air railway in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. The two other stations are located in the Jungfrau Tunnel, where passengers can disembark for a short time to observe the neighbouring mountains through windows built into the mountainside. The lower one,
Eigerwand, gives access to windows in the north face of the Eiger. The upper one,
Eismeer, gives access to windows in the east face of the Eiger, overlooking the Eismeer (the "sea of ice"). The line is electrified at
3-phase 1,125
volt
The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units (SI). It is named after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta (1745–1827).
Defi ...
s 50
Hertz
The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that on ...
, and is one of four lines in the world using
three-phase electric power
Three-phase electric power (abbreviated 3φ) is a common type of alternating current used in electricity generation, transmission, and distribution. It is a type of polyphase system employing three wires (or four including an optional neutral ...
.
At Kleine Scheidegg the JB connects with the
Wengernalpbahn
The Wengernalp Railway (german: Wengernalpbahn, WAB) is a long rack railway line in Switzerland. It runs from Lauterbrunnen to Grindelwald via Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg, making it the world's longest continuous rack and pinion railway. Th ...
(WAB), which has two routes down the mountain, running respectively to the villages of
Lauterbrunnen
, neighboring_municipalities= Aeschi bei Spiez, Blatten (Lötschen) (VS), Fieschertal (VS), Grindelwald, Gündlischwand, Kandersteg, Lütschental, Reichenbach im Kandertal, Saxeten, Wilderswil
, twintowns =
}
Lauterbrunnen is a village and M ...
and
Grindelwald
Grindelwald is a village and Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli (administrative district), Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Bern (canton), Berne. In addition ...
. From both villages, branches of the
Berner Oberland-Bahn
The Bernese Oberland Railway (german: Berner Oberland-Bahn, BOB) is a narrow-gauge mountain railway in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. It runs, via a "Y" junction at Zweilütschinen to serve Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald from Inter ...
(BOB) connect to the
Swiss Federal Railways
Swiss Federal Railways (german: link=no, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen, ''SBB''; french: link=no, Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses, ''CFF''; it, Ferrovie federali svizzere, ''FFS'') is the national railway company of Switzerland. It is usuall ...
at
Interlaken
, neighboring_municipalities= Bönigen, Därligen, Matten bei Interlaken, Ringgenberg, Unterseen
, twintowns = Scottsdale (USA), Ōtsu (Japan), Třeboň (Czech Republic)
Interlaken (; lit.: ''between lakes'') is a Swiss town and mun ...
.
The line is owned by the ''Jungfraubahn AG'', a subsidiary of the ''Jungfraubahn Holding AG'', a holding company that owns several mountain railways, cable railways, hotels, restaurants and travel agencies in the same region. Through that holding company it is part of the ''Allianz - Jungfrau Top of Europe'' marketing alliance, which also includes the separately owned
Berner Oberland-Bahn
The Bernese Oberland Railway (german: Berner Oberland-Bahn, BOB) is a narrow-gauge mountain railway in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. It runs, via a "Y" junction at Zweilütschinen to serve Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald from Inter ...
and
Schynige Platte-Bahn
The Schynige Platte Railway (german: Schynige Platte-Bahn, SPB) is a mountain railway in the Bernese Highlands area of Switzerland, which connects the town of Wilderswil, near Interlaken with the famous wildflower gardens of the Schynige Pla ...
.
History
*1860 (approximately) - there were many different plans for a mountain railway on the
Jungfrau
The Jungfrau ( "maiden, virgin"), at is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps, located between the northern canton of Bern and the southern canton of Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch. Together with the Eiger and Mönch, the J ...
, which failed due to financial problems.
*1894 the industrialist
Adolf Guyer-Zeller
Adolf Guyer-Zeller (1 May 1839 – 3 April 1899) was a Swiss entrepreneur.
Born in Bäretswil, Switzerland on 1 May 1839, Guyer-Zeller was the son of an owner of spinning mill and creator of a textile export trade in Zürich. After the death of ...
received a concession for a rack railway, which began from the
Kleine Scheidegg railway station
Kleine Scheidegg is a railway station and hub that is situated on the summit of Kleine Scheidegg, a mountain pass in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. The pass, located between the Lauberhorn and the Eiger's ridge, houses a complex of h ...
of the
Wengernalpbahn
The Wengernalp Railway (german: Wengernalpbahn, WAB) is a long rack railway line in Switzerland. It runs from Lauterbrunnen to Grindelwald via Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg, making it the world's longest continuous rack and pinion railway. Th ...
(WAB), with a long tunnel through 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
Mönch
The Mönch (, German: "monk") at is a mountain in the Bernese Alps, in Switzerland. Together with the Eiger and the Jungfrau, it forms a highly recognisable group of mountains, visible from far away.
The Mönch lies on the border between the ca ...
up to the summit of the
Jungfrau
The Jungfrau ( "maiden, virgin"), at is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps, located between the northern canton of Bern and the southern canton of Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch. Together with the Eiger and Mönch, the J ...
.
![Jungfraubahn Plan 1903](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Jungfraubahn_Plan_1903.jpg)
*1896 construction began. The construction work proceeded briskly.
*1898 the Jungfrau Railway opened as far as the
Eigergletscher railway station
Eigergletscher is a railway station in the municipality of Lauterbrunnen in the canton of Bern. The station is served by trains of the Jungfrau railway, which run to the Jungfraujoch from Kleine Scheidegg, where they connect with services from I ...
, at the foot 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 ...
.
*1899 Six workers are killed in an explosion. There is a four-month strike by workers.
Adolf Guyer-Zeller
Adolf Guyer-Zeller (1 May 1839 – 3 April 1899) was a Swiss entrepreneur.
Born in Bäretswil, Switzerland on 1 May 1839, Guyer-Zeller was the son of an owner of spinning mill and creator of a textile export trade in Zürich. After the death of ...
dies in
Zürich
Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...
on 3 April. The section from Eigergletscher station to
Rotstock station opens on 2 August
*1903 The section from Rotstock station to
Eigerwand station opens on 28 June.
*1905 The section from Eigerwand station to
Eismeer station opens on 25 July
*1908 There is an explosion at Eigerwand station.
*1912 21 February, sixteen years after work commenced, the tunneling crew finally breaks through the glacier in Jungfraujoch.
Jungfraujoch station was inaugurated on 1 August.
*1924 "The house above the clouds" at
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 ...
is opened on 14 September.
*1931 The research station at the Jungfraujoch is opened.
*1937 The Sphinx Observatory is opened. A snowblower is purchased and this results in year-round operation.
*1942 Relocation of the company offices from
Zürich
Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...
to
Interlaken
, neighboring_municipalities= Bönigen, Därligen, Matten bei Interlaken, Ringgenberg, Unterseen
, twintowns = Scottsdale (USA), Ōtsu (Japan), Třeboň (Czech Republic)
Interlaken (; lit.: ''between lakes'') is a Swiss town and mun ...
.
*1950 The dome is installed on the Sphinx Observatory.
*1951 The adhesion section between Eismeer station and Jungfraujoch station is converted to rack operation.
*1955 A second depot at
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 ...
is constructed. The post office inaugurates its relay station on the Jungfraujoch.
*1972 The panoramic windows are installed at Eigerwand and Eismeer. The Jungfraujoch mountain house and tourist house are destroyed by fire on 21 October.
*1975 A new tourist house is opened.
*1987 A new mountain house is opened on 1 August.
*1991 A new station hall is opened at the Jungfraujoch.
*1993 The small Kleine Scheidegg depot is extended.
*1996 The covered observation deck at the Sphinx Observatory is opened.
*1997 For the first time the annual visitor numbers exceed 500,000.
*2000 On 1 June a daily record number of 8,148 visitors is achieved.
Stations
![Bahnhof Jungfraujoch](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Bahnhof_Jungfraujoch.jpg)
*
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 ...
,
*
Eigergletscher
The Eiger Glacier (german: Eigergletscher) is a glacier situated on the north-west side of the Eiger in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland. The glacier is within the Lauterbrunnen, municipality of Lauterbrunnen in the canton of Bern.
In 1973 it had a ...
,
*
Eigerwand,
*
Eismeer,
*
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 ...
,
Source:
Openings
*Rotstock Station (closed in 1903)
*Stollenloch
Lift proposal and aerial cableway
In early 2008, Jungfraubahn Holding AG announced it was exploring the idea of an efficient fast form of access to the Jungfraujoch, using the world's longest tunnel-lift system, as an alternative to the rack railway. A feasibility study was undertaken to determine if and how such a system - for example as a fast lift or funicular - from the
Lauterbrunnen
, neighboring_municipalities= Aeschi bei Spiez, Blatten (Lötschen) (VS), Fieschertal (VS), Grindelwald, Gündlischwand, Kandersteg, Lütschental, Reichenbach im Kandertal, Saxeten, Wilderswil
, twintowns =
}
Lauterbrunnen is a village and M ...
Valley 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 ...
could be realised without disturbing the unique landscape of the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
. These plans were later abandoned and in 2017 the company announced plans to build an aerial cableway between , a new station on the Interlaken-Grindelwald line, and from where the Jungfrau railway could be joined for the journey to the summit. This aerial cableway, known as the
Eiger Express
The Eiger Express is a gondola cableway linking Grindelwald with the Eigergletscher that opened in December, 2020.
History
The Eiger Express was constructed as part of a wider project known as V-cableway. This included a new station, Grinde ...
, opened to the public on 5 December 2020. and provides an alternative, faster, way to access the Jungfraujoch from the valley.
Rolling stock
![Jungfraubahn Snowplough](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Jungfraubahn_Snowplough.JPG)
Since most of the railway is inside a tunnel, it was designed to be powered by electricity from conception. The current rolling stock consists of
twin-unit
A twin unit or twinset is a set of two railroad cars or locomotives which are permanently coupled and treated as if they were a single unit. A twinset of cars or coaches can also be called a twin car. In US passenger railroad parlance, twin u ...
motorcoaches carrying up to 230 people per train which operate at 12.5 km/h on the steepest parts of the ascent. The motors function at two speeds which allows the units to operate at double this speed on the less steep part of the ascent (above Eismeer station).
The motors will operate in a regenerative mode which allows the trains to generate electricity during the descent, which is fed back into the power distribution system. Approximately 50% of the energy required for an ascent is recovered during the descent. It is this generation that regulates the descent speed.
Motive power delivered since 1992 (numbers 211...224) no longer has directly fed three phase motors but is equipped similarly to a normal single phase locomotive. This rolling stock can travel at variable speed and this allowed a reduction in journey time from 52 to 35 min with the timetable starting 11 December 2016.
Official Swiss timetable publication
/ref> Pre-1992 rolling stock can no longer be used in regular traffic and most of the earlier trains have been scrapped.
Snow clearing equipment is essential on the open section of line between Kleine Scheidegg railway station
Kleine Scheidegg is a railway station and hub that is situated on the summit of Kleine Scheidegg, a mountain pass in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. The pass, located between the Lauberhorn and the Eiger's ridge, houses a complex of h ...
and Eigergletscher railway station
Eigergletscher is a railway station in the municipality of Lauterbrunnen in the canton of Bern. The station is served by trains of the Jungfrau railway, which run to the Jungfraujoch from Kleine Scheidegg, where they connect with services from I ...
. Originally snow ploughs were used but more recently snow blowing equipment has been brought into service.
The railway also operates some dedicated freight vehicles to supply the visitor facilities at 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 ...
, including a tank to transport additional water.
Main characteristics
See also
* List of mountain railways in Switzerland
This is a list of mountain railways in operation in Switzerland. It includes railways that overcome steep gradients (over 5%) or whose culminating point is over above sea level. Most of them are located in the Alps, which include the highest Eu ...
* Rail transport in Switzerland
The Swiss rail network is noteworthy for its density, its coordination between services, its integration with other modes of transport, timeliness and a thriving domestic and trans-alp freight system. This is made necessary by strong regulations ...
* Wetterhorn Elevator, another ambitious project in the region aiming at the Wetterhorn
References
External links
Jungfrau Railways website
''Jungfraurailway: Why the highest of Europe didn't end higher''
'Tim Travel' on YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
"Alpine Climbing by Railroad"
''Popular Mechanics'', December 1911, pp. 830–831.
{{Authority control
Transport in the Alps
Bernese Oberland
Mountain railways
Metre gauge railways in Switzerland
Railway companies of Switzerland
Electric railways in Switzerland
Railway lines in Switzerland
Railways using three-phase power
Railway lines opened in 1898
Rack railways in Switzerland
Transport in the canton of Bern
Transport in Valais
Tourist attractions in the Canton of Bern
1898 establishments in Switzerland
Companies listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange