| Jungfrau Railway | |
| Native Name: | Jungfraubahn JB |
| Native Name Lang: | de |
| Type: | Mountain rack railway |
| Status: | operating daily |
| Locale: | Bern and Valais, Switzerland |
| Start: | Kleine Scheidegg |
| End: | Jungfraujoch railway station |
| Stations: | 5 |
| Routes: | 1 |
| Daily Ridership: | max. 1 Million p.a. |
| Owner: | Jungfraubahn AG |
| Operator: | JB |
| Character: | Touristic, mainly underground rack railway |
| Depot: | Kleine Scheidegg railway station |
| Linelength Km: | 9.34 |
| Minradius: | 1002NaN2 |
| Electrification: | 3-phase, 1,125 V AC, 50 Hz, overhead wire |
| Maxincline: | 25% |
| Racksystem: | Strub |
| Elevation M: | 3454 |
| Map: | |
| Map Name: | Route diagram |
| Map State: | collapsed |
The Jungfrau Railway (German: Jungfraubahn, pronounced as /de/, JB) is a mountain rack railway in the Bernese Alps, Switzerland, connecting Kleine Scheidegg in the Bernese Oberland to the Jungfraujoch, across the Valais border. It is the highest railway in Switzerland and Europe, running from the station of Kleine Scheidegg (2061m (6,762feet)) to the Jungfraujoch (3454m (11,332feet)), well above the perennial snow line. As a consequence, the railway runs essentially within the Jungfrau Tunnel, built into the neighbouring Eiger and Mönch, to protect the line from snow and extreme weather.
The Jungfrau Railway got its name from the highest of the three high peaks above it: the Jungfrau (English: Virgin;), which was the initial goal of the project. A lift connecting the summit of the Jungfrau with an underground railway was planned.[1] In 1912, the project ultimately ended at the Jungfraujoch, the saddle between the Mönch and Jungfrau. It was one of the highest railways in the world at the time of its inauguration.
At Kleine Scheidegg the Jungfrau Railway connects with the Wengernalpbahn (WAB), which has two routes down the mountain, running respectively to the villages of Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald. From both villages, branches of the Berner Oberland-Bahn (BOB) connect to the Swiss Federal Railways at Interlaken.[2]
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 and Schynige Platte-Bahn.[3]
The Jungfrau Railway has four operational stations, a previous station at having closed in 2016. The base station hub of Kleine Scheidegg is the highest starting point for a railroad in Europe, and the top terminus of Jungfraujoch is the highest railway station in Europe. The initial open-air section culminates just after Eigergletscher station, at around 2,350 metres, which makes the line the second highest open-air railway in Switzerland.[4] The other station is, located in the Jungfrau Tunnel, where passengers travelling towards Jungfraujoch can disembark for a short time to observe the neighbouring mountains through windows built into the east face of the Eiger, overlooking the Eismeer (the "sea of ice").
Source:[5]
Additional locations along the line include Rotstock Station, at 2520sigfig=4NaNsigfig=4, which was closed in 1903, and Stollenloch,[6] [7] [8] a person-sized tunnel-opening which exits directly onto the north face of the Eiger.
The line uses a and uses a Strub rack.
The Jungfrau Railway is electrified and one of only four lines in the world with three-phase electric power.[9] The line runs using a 3-phase alternating current (AC) system which requires the trains to collect power from twin overhead wires using two pantographs (the third phase is earthed to the track).
| Altitude (top station) | above sea level | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation gain | ||
| Operational length | ||
| Gauge | ||
| Rack rail type | Strub | |
| Operational speed | (25km/h on shallower gradients, such as above Eismeer) | |
| Steepest gradient | 25% | |
| Smallest curve radius | ||
| Tunnels | 3 tunnels: longest ; shortest . Tunnels make up 80% of length of the entire railway. | |
| Power system | 3-phase, 50 Hz, 1,125 volts |
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 Valley to the Jungfraujoch could be realised without disturbing the unique landscape of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. These plans were 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.[10] This aerial cableway, known as the Eiger Express, opened to the public on 5 December 2020[11] and provides an alternative, faster way to access the Jungfraujoch from the valley.
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 motorcoaches carrying up to 230 people per train which operate at 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 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. This generation 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 speeds, which enabled a reduction in journey time from 52 to 35 min with the timetable starting 11 December 2016.[12] 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 and Eigergletscher railway station. 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, including a tank to transport additional water.