The new Bernese Oberland Railway (BOB) stop and Park+Ride were opened in Matten on Saturday, 9 December 2023. With the construction of the Park+Ride and the public transport links, the Lütschinen valleys will be spared further individual motorised traffic in the future. “The stop and the Matten Park+Ride are the icing on the cake for the generation project V-Cableway. We are thus shifting even more guest traffic from road to rail”, said Jungfrau Railways Director Urs Kessler. “Switching from road to rail doesn’t have to be mandatory, it just has to be easy and convenient”, said David-André Beeler, Chairman of the BOB Board of Directors, at the inauguration on Saturday.
The Park+Ride is ideally located near the motorway exit. Guests are transported from the Matten stop on the Bernese Oberland Railway (BOB) to the excursion destinations in the Lütschinen valleys. On around 65 days a year – such as over Christmas and New Year or during the ski holiday weeks – additional trains will now run between Interlaken Ost and Grindelwald in the morning and evening at peak times. The new “Matten near Interlaken” stop will also serve to provide public transport access to the cross-municipal commercial zone on the former airfield.
The stop features a reception building, a modern toilet facility, two outdoor barriers and a pedestrian subway with ramps and stairs. Two coach bays and the new access road from the direct motorway junction are also core elements of the new BOB stop. The Park+Ride offers parking spaces for 207 cars and 36 coaches. On the already existing taxiway, another 300 car parking spaces and 32 parking spaces for coaches can be provided in case of increased traffic.
In the course of the work, the Wilderswil junction was also completed. In future, trains will cross on the new double-track line between the Aenderbergstrasse Matten level crossing and the Rosshag/Wilderswil area. In addition, there is a new safety system with interlocking in a switching and transformer station.
The entire project will cost CHF 19.5 million.
Wengen Shuttle brings added value for everyone
The Wengen Shuttle was inaugurated on Saturday afternoon to the sound of the alphorn. “The car-free resort of Wengen has more than earned this upgrade. With the Wengen Shuttle, we are boosting Wengen’s attractiveness as a location and completing the V-Cableway project”, said Jungfrau Railways Director Urs Kessler at the inauguration. Afterwards, the public had the chance to take a closer look at the new Wengen Shuttle and enjoy an aperitif at Wengen railway station.
The new, spacious trains will benefit both locals and visitors to Wengen. Equipped with many folding seats, guests can easily store their suitcases or even their luggage trolley. The low-floor train enables wheelchair users in particular to board at ground level. The Wengen Shuttle will be operational on around 100 days between Lauterbrunnen and Wengen, especially on days with a high volume of visitors (e.g. Christmas, ski holidays, etc.) It will run from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen. The cost of the new rolling stock for the Wengen Shuttle came to around CHF 16 million.
Did you know? 100 per cent renewable energy for sustainable rail transport
the entire Jungfrau Railways operation (railroads, ski lifts and buildings) is now supplied entirely with renewable energy (mainly Swiss hydropower). Most recently, the small connections on the First Aerial Cableway were converted in December. This measure is part of Jungfrau Railways’ long-term sustainability strategy, the aim of which is to promote sustainability along the entire value chain. In addition to the company’s own Lütschental hydropower plant, IBI, BKW, EWL and the municipality of Wilderswil supply the infrastructure with renewable energy.
Factsheet train station and Park+Ride Matten bei Interlaken
Factsheet Wengen Shuttle
