MOB To Launch Gauge-Changing Montreux – Interlaken GoldenPass Express
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
Between Lucerne And Interlaken Ost Stations On Die Zentralbahn
The Zwntralbahn is the scenic railway, that connects Lucerne and Interlaken Ost stations along the Brünig Line. Wikipedia says this about the ownership of the railway.
The Zentralbahn is a Swiss railway company that owns and operates two connecting railway lines in Central Switzerland and the Bernese Oberland. It was created on January 1, 2005, with the acquisition of the independently owned Luzern–Stans–Engelberg line, and the Brünig line of the Swiss Federal Railways.
I don’t know, but as the railway is metre rather than standard gauge, I do wonder, if it was to Swiss Federal Railways, a bit like the Settle-Carlisle Line was to British Rail; Expensive to run, loved by locals and tourists and in need of new investment.
These pictures show the railway.
As some of the pictures show, the line was busy in places. and judging by the number of Asian groups on the train, a lot were tourists.
The trains are modern Stadler SPATZ trains.
- Fully-electric.
- Metre gauge.
- They are able to use sections of the line which have a rack to assist climbing.
- Large panoramic windows for good views.
It appears that the three-car train has been designed with all the electrical gubbings in the middle car, with the end sections similar to the Stadler GTW.
Stadler seem to be able to shuffle their ideas and especially, the central power-pack to produce trains for all purposes.
Greater Anglia’s Class 755 trains, and the tri-mode Flirts of the South Wales Metro, will be just more variations on the same theme.
Next Time I Go To The Area
There are two groups of mountain railways grouped at Interlaken and Lucerne, which are linked by the
Brünig Line. The route is not simple and there is a reverse about half-way at Meiringen station.
Searching the web, it appears that there is reasonably-priced accommodation in and around Meiringen.
With a Swiss Pass, which gives a worthwhile discount on the expensive mountain trains, I shall be staying around there on my next trip to Switzerland.
Consider.
- You could fly in to Zurich Airport and buy your Swiss Pass there.
- Lucerne and Interlaken are about an hour away on the scenic Brünig Line.
- Bern and Zurich are close enough for a day trip.
I didn’t explore Meiringen, so check the guides first. But it looked OK from the train.
Riding The Bernese Oberland Railway
The Bernese Oberland Railway, is one of the rail lines, that meet at Interlaken Ost station.
This short description is from Wikipedia.
The Bernese Oberland Railway (or correctly translated Bernese Highlands Railway; German: Berner Oberland-Bahn, BOB) is a narrow-gauge mountain railway in the Bernese Highlands of Switzerland. It runs, via a “Y” junction at Zweilütschinen to serve Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald. The railway is rack assisted (that is although an adhesion railway, rack and pinion operation is used on steep sections of the line to assist traction).
These pictures show the railway.
On my trip I used the railway twice.
- To get to and from Lauterbrunnen station to go to the Schilthorn.
- To get to and from Wilderswil station to go to ride on the Schynige Platte Railway.
It is very much the railway to start your trip into the mountains.
It is a route included in a Swiss Pass.
The Anonymous Widower 