Interlaken West railway station explained

Style:BLS
Interlaken West
Address:Bahnhofstrasse 28
Borough:Interlaken
Country:Switzerland
Coordinates:46.6822°N 7.8514°W
Elevation:563m (1,847feet)
Owned:BLS AG
Line:Lake Thun line
Platforms:2 side platforms
Tracks:2
Parking:61
Code:IW
Zone:750 (Libero)[1]
Passengers:6'500 per weekday[2]
Pass Year:2023
Pass System:BLS, SBB
Map Type:Switzerland#Canton of Bern
Map Size:300px

Interlaken West is a railway station in the resort town of Interlaken, in the Swiss canton of Bern. It is on the Thunersee line of the BLS AG, and is one of two stations in the town, the other being Interlaken Ost. In addition to trains operated directly by the BLS, the station is also reached by passenger trains of the Swiss Federal Railways and Deutsche Bahn.[3]

The lines through the station are standard gauge and are electrified at 15 kV AC. There are two tracks, narrowing to a single track at either end of the station, and each track is served by a side platform. The station building is situated on the eastern platform.[3]

The station also provides an interchange with the local bus network provided by PostBus Switzerland and the regional bus line to Thun provided by Verkehrsbetriebe STI. Ships of the BLS-owned fleet on Lake Thun serve a quay at Interlaken West, which they access via the 2.75km (01.71miles) long Interlaken ship canal.

History

Originally known simply as Interlaken, Interlaken West was the first station to be opened in the town, when the Bödelibahn railway reached it from Därligen, on Lake Thun in 1872. Two years later the railway was extended to Bönigen, on Lake Brienz, via Interlaken Zollhaus station.[4]

Over time, Zollhaus station became the more important station, being also served by the Brünig railway and the Bernese Oberland railway. As a result, Interlaken station was renamed Interlaken West, and Interlaken Zollhaus was renamed Interlaken Ost.[4]

Services

the following services stop at Interlaken West; all eastbound/southbound trains terminate in :[5] [6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Zonenplan Plan des Zones . Libero . 10 December 2023 . 17 April 2024 . de,fr.
  2. Web site: Passagierfrequenz (2023) . . Interlaken, Switzerland . 2023 . data.sbb.ch – SBB DATA PORTAL . 25 June 2024.
  3. Book: Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz . 2012 . Verlag Schweers + Wall GmbH . 978-3-89494-130-7 . 82.
  4. Web site: The history of BLS Navigation . BLS AG . 17 April 2024.
  5. Web site: Bern - Thun - Spiez - Interlaken . 25 October 2023 . 12 March 2024 . de.
  6. Web site: Abfahrt: Bahnhof/Station Interlaken West . de,en . 10 December 2023 . 17 April 2024 . BLS AG.