Due to the current challenges regarding Covid-19, Jungfrau Railways is planning a reduced operation for the expected transition year 2021. The timetable can be adjusted and expanded at short notice, e. g. during holiday periods or in good weather. This may also be the case when demand and international tourism pick up again.
For the autumn and winter season 2020/2021, Jungfrau Railways is already offering locals as well as domestic and foreign guests a timetable tailored to the main holiday and peak periods as well as weekends. The Harder Railway, together with the Jungfrau Railway and the Mürren Railway, will still offer holidaymakers and holders of the Jungfrau Corona Pass various excursion options until the end of November. The First Railway will cease operations from 26 October 2020 until the start of the winter season in mid-December.
Timetable 2021
Jungfrau Railways assumes that 2021 will be a transitional year due to Covid-19. It can be assumed that the markets in Asia and the US will not have yet fully recovered by next summer. This means that demand will still be significantly lower than in previous years. The company is therefore continuing to use short-time work to avoid redundancies wherever possible. Applications for short-time work must be renewed every three months and re-approved by the canton.
The half-hourly interval will be maintained in 2021 on the railway lines eligible for compensation. This applies to the routes of the Bernese Oberland Railways (BOB) from Interlaken Ost to Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen, the Wengernalp Railway (WAB) between Lauterbrunnen and Wengen, and the Lauterbrunnen-Mürren Mountain Railway (BLM).
Transfer of guests to Eiger Express tricable gondola expected
With the opening of the Eiger Express tricable gondola on 5 December 2020, guests will be even more spread out. The most attractive connection to the Jungfraujoch and for winter sports is now the Eiger Express, which will lead to a shift in guest flows away from the cogwheel railway. Therefore, on the Wengen/Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg and Kleine Scheidegg to Eigergletscher routes, an hourly interval will generally apply. In the main winter season between 19/12/2020 and 26/03/2021, the half-hourly interval applies on the Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg route. The half-hourly interval also applies on the Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg route during school holidays (public holidays and sports holidays) and at weekends.
The Jungfrau Railway (JB) will run every half hour with the opening of the Eiger Express between the Eiger Glacier and Jungfraujoch. The Kleine Scheidegg to Eigergletscher route is still served hourly. For the journey to the Jungfraujoch, changing to the JB shuttle trains takes place at the Eiger Glacier station. With the Eiger Express, in future, winter sports guests will be able to reach the ski slopes from the valley in 15 minutes. Once in the ski area, in addition to the Jungfrau Railway, the Eiger North Face chairlift also serves the Eiger Glacier.
Note: Please pay attention to the online timetable and the destinations at the railway stations.
