The Jungfrau Railways, with its head office in the Bernese Oberland metropolis of Interlaken, Switzerland, comprises seven mountain railways which carry passengers in comfort and safety to a stunning high-Alpine world. Whilst some run all year round, others are getting ready to come out of hibernation. After long months of winter-white, a railway trip up to the splendours of the mountain spring is simply special.
The Jungfrau Railway, a cogwheel railway which takes passengers from Kleine Scheidegg (2,061m / 6,7614ft), above the villages of Grindelwald and Wengen, to the Jungfraujoch–Top of Europe at 3,454m / 11,333ft Europe’s highest-altitude railway station. The Jungfrau Railway, a true masterpiece of technology, was built between 1896 and 1912 by Swiss railway pioneer Adolf Guyer-Zeller. The highlight of any visit to Switzerland!
Open all year
The Wengernalp Railway is the longest cogwheel rail route in Switzerland (19km / 12 miles) and takes passengers to Kleine Scheidegg on two different routes; one from Grindelwald along the foot of the famous Eiger North Wall, the other from Lauterbrunnen via traffic-free Wengen. The railway began operations in 1893.
Open all year
The Schynige Platte Railway, opened in 1893, offers a nostalgic and leisurely trip to the Schynige Platte summit (1,967m / 6,454ft), the Botanical Alpine Garden with its 600 different species of plants and a LOWA hiking-boot test centre. The area is a hikers heaven, with spectacular views of Lakes Thun and Brienz and the triple snow-covered summits of the Eiger Mönch & Jungfrau.
Open 27 May to 15 October 2006
The Harder Railway, actually a funicular, is almost 100 years old and still going strong! From the world famous resort of Interlaken, the tiny red carriages climb the 1.4 km track to the Harder Kulm (1,322m / 3,966ft) and a breathtaking bird’s-eye view of Interlaken, Lake Brienz, Lake Thun and the entire Jungfrau Region. The railway opened in 1908.
Open 29 April to 29 October 2006
The Lauterbrunnen–Mürren Mountain Railway, (5.7km / 3.5 miles partly funicular and partly adhesion railway) was opened in 1891. This popular funicular ceases operating on 23 April 2006, to be replaced by an aerial cableway opening on 10 December 2006 with increased passenger capacity. In the meantime, passengers will travel to Stechelberg by postbus to board the Schilthorn Aerial Cableway up to tiny traffic-free Mürren (1,634m / 5,361ft). The Mürren Railway will operate a half-hourly service from Mürren–Winteregg–Grütschalp.
The Bernese Oberland Railway has been carrying visitors comfortably through some of Switzerland’s loveliest landscape into the two valleys of the Lütschine, to glorious Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen – the Valley of Waterfalls - in all four seasons since 1893.
Open all year
Grindelwald-First Aerial Cableway, with its 6-seater gondolas, carries passengers from the famous glacier village up to sunny First, a first-class vantage point. The First Aerial Cableway became a subsidiary of Jungfrau Railways in 2004. Spectacular hiking area.
Open 13 May to 22 October 2006
Switzerland is renowned for its stunning scenery and superb railway system. Nowhere more captivatingly combined than in the Jungfrau Region.
