Kleine Scheidegg railway station

Kleine Scheidegg is a railway station and hub[2] 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 hotels and railway buildings. Administratively, the station is in the municipality of Lauterbrunnen in the canton of Bern, a few metres from the border with the municipality of Grindelwald.[3][4]

Kleine Scheidegg
Aerial view
General information
LocationKleine Scheidegg, Lauterbrunnen, Bern
Switzerland
Coordinates46°35′04″N 07°57′34″E
Elevation2,061 m (6,762 ft)[1]
Line(s)
Platforms6
History
Opened10 August 1892 (1892-08-10)
Electrified3 June 1909 (1909-06-03)
Services
Preceding station Jungfraubahn AG Following station
Wengernalp
towards Lauterbrunnen
 Wengernalp Railway Terminus
Alpiglen
towards Grindelwald
Terminus Jungfrau Railway Eigergletscher
towards Jungfraujoch
Location
Kleine Scheidegg is located in Switzerland
Kleine Scheidegg
Kleine Scheidegg
Location in Switzerland

The station is the culminating point of the Wengernalp Railway (WAB), whose trains operate to Kleine Scheidegg from Lauterbrunnen via Wengen, and separately from Grindelwald. It is also the lower terminus of the Jungfrau Railway (JB), whose trains climb within the Eiger to the Jungfraujoch. All passengers travelling to the Jungfraujoch, or between Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald, must change trains at the station.[1][3] At 2,061 metres above sea level, it is the highest railway hub in Switzerland and Europe, and the third highest railway crossing on the continent.[5] The widest section of the station has about 10 parallel tracks.[3]

WAB trains from Lauterbrunnen enter the station at its western end, and from Grindelwald at its eastern end, but no through trains are operated. This is principally because of the need, for safety reasons, to have each train's motorcar or locomotive at its downhill end. The WAB tracks at Kleine Scheidegg includes a, partially underground, wye track to allow trains to be reversed, opposite to the Jungfrau Railway tracks, but this is not used for trains in passenger service.[1][4]

The WAB and JB use different rail gauges, different electrification systems and different rack railway technology, and are not physically connected. The depot of the JB is located at Kleine Scheidegg, but not the line's workshops. These are located at Eigergletscher station, one stop up the line.[1][4]

The station is served by the following passenger trains:[6][7]

The WAB side of the station, with the JB just visible behind the station building
The JB side of the station
Operator Train Type Route Typical Frequency Notes
Wengernalp Railway Lauterbrunnen - Wengwald - Wengen - Allmend - Wengernalp - Kleine Scheidegg 2 per hour
Wengernalp Railway Grindelwald - Grindelwald Grund - Brandegg - Alpiglen - Kleine Scheidegg 2 per hour
Jungfrau Railway Kleine Scheidegg - Eigergletscher - Eigerwand - Eismeer - Jungfraujoch 2 per hour

See also

References
  1. Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz. Verlag Schweers + Wall GmbH. 2012. p. 82. ISBN 978-3-89494-130-7.
  2. Kleine Scheidegg, outdooractive.com
  3. map.geo.admin.ch (Map). Swiss Confederation. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  4. Allen, Cecil J. (1958). Switzerland's Amazing Railways. London: Thomas Nelson and Sons. p. 141.
  5. After the Bernina and Furka
  6. "Interlaken–Lauterbrunnen–Wengen–Kleine Scheidegg–Jungfraujoch" (PDF). Bundesamt für Verkehr. Retrieved 2013-01-28.
  7. "Interlaken–Grindelwald–Kleine Scheidegg–Jungfraujoch" (PDF). Bundesamt für Verkehr. Retrieved 2013-01-28.


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