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Travelling on The JB Railway (Jungfraubahn / The Jungfrau Railway)
This guide to the journey to Europe's highest station at Jungfraujoch, includes details of the connections required when making the trip from Interlaken.
Simon HarperShare
The Jungfrau Railway/The Jungfraubahn (JB) runs between Kleine Scheidegg station and **Europe’s highest station, Jungfraujoch - it is the final part of the Top Of Europe route from Interlaken,
JB trains follow a route mainly in tunnel through the Monch and Eiger mountains, but what makes the Jungfraubahn unique, aside from its height, is that Eismeer station has glass windows cut into the sides of the mountain for views over the ice fields.
The trains make an extended stop at the station, so you can leave the train to make the most of the breath taking views.
To Jungfraujoch
Kleine Scheidegg station is served by WAB trains from/to both Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen.
Both Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen are linked to Interlaken Ost station (which has direct trains from/to Basel, Bern and Luzern) by BOB trains.
So the journey between Interlaken Ost and Jungfraujoch involves;
(1) a journey by BOB train between Interlaken Ost and either Grindelwald OR Lauterbrunnen
(2) a journey by WAB train between either Grindelwald OR Lauterbrunnen and Kleine Scheidegg.
(3) a journey by JB train from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch.
So the best option is to travel to Kleine Scheidegg via Grindelwald and return via Lauterbrunnen (or vice versa).
the Eiger Express cable car
Most of the JB Railway's route tunnels through the mountain and Eigergletscher is the final open-air station, it is the first station on from Kleine Scheidegg.
Eigergletscher is now also the summit station of the Eiger Express cable car, which has its base station in Grindelwald.
So the faster route from Interlaken to Jungfraujoch is to connect at Grindelwald Terminal station, for the Eiger Express, where the base station for the Eiger Express is a few minutes walk away.
Though what can be a tad confusing is that Grindelwald Terminal is not the final stop on the route from Interlaken, the trains carry on to the main Grindelwald station in the centre of the village.
Taking the round trip to Jungfraujoch from Interlaken which involves ascending up to Eigergletscher on the Eiger Express and then taking the trains down through Wengen or Grindelwald is more popular than taking the Eiger Exprsss in the opposite direction down to Grindelwald.
So the lines to board the Eiger Express tend to be shorter in Eigergletscher than in Grindelwald, so it can be quicker and easier to travel: Interlaken > Lauterbrunnen > Kleine Scheidegg > Jungfraujoch > Eigergletscher > Grindelwald Gmund > Grindelwald > Interlaken.
Berner Oberland Passes and Jungfrau Summer Passes include both the Eiger Express and the trains between Eigergletscher and Interlaken, with special tickets available for journeys between Eigergletscher and Jungfraujoch.
Tickets and using rail passes:
Details of journeys between Interlaken Ost/ Kleine Scheidegg and Jungfraujoch are available on the ‘Jungfrau Top Of Europe’ website.
Tickets between Interlaken Ost and Jungfraujoch include the journeys on the BOB, WAB and JB trains.
Or you can book here for the round trip between Grindelwald and/or Lauterbrunnen and Jungfraujoch.
Travel up from Grindelwald on the Eiger Express cable car and then travel down on the amazing rail journey via Wengen.
Though before booking tickets, it’s worth checking the weather forecasts and the live weather cameras on The Top Of Europe website, there’s little point in travelling on the Jungfraubahn, if the visibility is poor.
However, if the weather is poor in Interlaken, there may yet be opportunities to look down on to the clouds from the summit which can be a spectacular sight.
Tickets between SBB stations and Jungfraujoch can be booked on the SBB booking service.
Be aware that a comparatively high price has to be paid for journeys on the JB trains.
Cost per km this is a contender for Europe's most expensive train service.
Eurail - 25% discount
InterRail 25% discount
Swiss Travel Pass 25% discount
Saver Day Pass - no discount if you paid the full price of the pass, 25% discount if you have a Half-Fare Card, so booked the Saver Day Pass at the Half-Card rate.
Users of Berner Oberland Passes and the Jungfrau Travel Passes can travel as far as Eigergletscher station, at no additional cost, and purchase tickets for the journey on to Jungraujoch at a special rate.
Simon Harper
I wanted to share my passion for train travel and explain how anyone can take the fantastic journeys I have taken.
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