The Bernese Oberland Railway opens up the Lütschinen valleys and, with its blue-yellow trains, connects Interlaken Ost with Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen. As a rule, two trains are coupled together until Zweilütschinen, where they are separated. One train travels onwards to Lauterbrunnen, the other to Grindelwald. All compositions can be coupled together for shuttle purposes, with the locomotive always positioned on the uphill end of the train. A control car with driver's cab is positioned on the downhill end to avoid any switching manoeuvres at turning stations.
The railway began operating in 1890 and was electrified in 1914. With ongoing adjustments to the infrastructure, constant improvements have been made to quality, safety and timetable stability. With the newly procured vehicles from 2016, modern low-floor vehicles now run every half hour. At the same time, the number of seats per train and the timetable have been expanded. Over the next few years, several stations will be rebuilt to give our travellers comfortable and barrier-free access.
The idea of building a railway through the two Lütschinen Valleys arose in 1873. However, the Aarmühle council (later Interlaken council) rejected the first project, a resolution with which the decision makers in the neighbouring municipalities of Matten, Unterseen, Wilderswil and Bönigen were in agreement. Grindelwald was initially uninterested in a rail link while Lauterbrunnen was undecided. But then public opinion changed and the project began to receive wide support. The Bernese Oberland Railway (BOB) in Interlaken was founded on 2 November 1888. The narrow-gauge railway (meter gauge) from Interlaken Ost to Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen began operations on 1 July 1890.
