JUNGFRAUJOCH RAIL
Scenic Rail Ride to Top of Alps - Eiger and the Jungfrau
Okay,
who would think to put a window halfway up the shear rocky cliff face
of a mountain? How did it get there and who are those people looking
out. In the 1975 movie, the Eiger Sanction, a final mountain climbing
sequence with Clint Eastwood hanging from the notorious north
face of the Eiger is rescued from holes in the 
mountain. The
holes were left from tunnels of the Jungfrau rail line dug through mighty
mountain, and the
people looking out the window are you - if you take the scenic train
ride on the Jungfrau Bahn. Walt Disney built a roller
coaster through a fake mountain for his Matterhorn at Disneyland, but
the Jungfrau rail line in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland is a railroad
through a real Alps mountain, a cogwheel rack railway to the Jungfraujoch,
billed
as the highest railway station in Europe.
The
Jungfrau (maiden), the Mönch
and Eiger are three peaks joined in one mountain ridge massif of the
Berner Oberland Alps south of Interlaken.
The snow covered Jungfrau peak can easily be seen from the center of
Interlaken with its grand age hotels looking through a cut in the valley,
framed
in the sunlight through the crags. The Eiger and Monch stand majestically
above the village of Grindelwald. A journey by rail takes over a half
million visitors a year from the Interlaken Ost rail station to Lauterbrunnen
or Grindelwald connecting to the train to Klein Sheidegg, then on the
Jungfrau Bahn to the the Jungfraujoch rail station with its views of
the eternal snowy peaks and the Aletsch Glacier, Switzerland’s
longest glacier.
Conceived
by German engineer and industrial visionary Adolf Guyer-Zeller, begun
in 1894 and completed
in 1912,
the Jungfrau Bahn Railway line travels
for most of its length entirely inside the mountain, mostly through the
Monch and Eiger, before reaching its terminus below the spitz peak between
the Eiger and Jungfrau called “The Sphinx”. The Jungfraubahn
railway, a Unesco World Heritage site for its engineering feat, climbs
on a cog assisted track from the station at Kleine Scheidegg for
about a mile before entering the mountain and then completely inside
the rock
to
the Jungfraujoch station at 11,333 feet altitude. The train makes two
stops inside the mountain, only on the way up, for about five
minutes at each station. The Eigernordwand station offers a chance to
look out the face of the Eiger mountain through thick observation windows
at snowy rocky crags. Further on is the Eismeer railway station looking
out on the Schreckhorn peak. On the train journey through the tunnels
- since there isn’t a lot of actual scenery - a film program of
the history of the railway and mountain climbers plays on tv screens
in the rail cars.
Arriving
at the Jungfraujoch station, visitors with directionally disoriented
confused faces follow
signs through constant
temperature rock tunnels to a couple of
destinations. At one end, an elevator goes up to the Sphinx. A viewing
platform below the Sphinx observatory dome and atmosphere research center
looks out on the glacial snows and high alps vistas, ideal for obligatory
photo taking against mountain backdrops. Another tunnel leads to the
Ice Palace, a
collection 
of
eternally frozen sculpted ice animals, a “sculpture
garden”in a grotto of colorfully lit ice caves. At the other end
of the complex is the "Top of Europe" Glacier Restaurant for
sit down dining where the mountain views can be enjoyed from the warm
comfort of indoors. There is also a snack bar, as well as the gift shop
with lots of branded clothing
items and souvenirs, and a small historical
museum display upstairs. Another level allows you to step outside onto
the
plateau for a snowy walkabout and view of the Sphinx. Snow is guaranteed
through the year. In the summer, Husky pulled Dog Sled rides are offered
and snow boarding and snow disks at the snow park. Other than summer
the weather outside can change rapidly, a little more brutal, if you
want to experience a blizzard at 9500 meters, but when the sun is out
and the weather clear the views can be stunning, otherwise enjoy from
the comfort of the restaurant.
Plan
on a minimum 3 hours for a trip to the Jungfraujoch from Interlaken
and back, though a good
half a
day is more leisurely. The trip may be
crowded with tourist groups (Japanese tour companies love the Jungfrau).
The tour groups usually have their own reserved rail car, but the elevators
can get a little crowded. It is possible to stop along the way at Lauterbrunnen
or Kleine Sheidegg with its curiously out of place giant American Indian
Tee-Pee bar restaurant. There is also a hotel at Kleine Sheidegg. A ticket
for the Jungfraujoch includes the connections needed from Interlaken
and
you
can take one
route up
through
Lauterbrunnen
on one leg and through Grindelwald on another leg. You could also combine
the Jungfrau Bahn scenic rail ride with the aerial cable ride to the
Schilthorn mountain top revolving restaurant, (see Schilthorn
Piz Gloria), the one made famous from
the James Bond movie “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” (see James Bond World Schilthorn). Its possible to do both in one day if one had
the desire, through separate days would be better if you have more time.
These scenic trips are not cheap, but a memorable experience and are
half-price if you have a Swiss Pass. © Bargain
Travel Europe
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SEE ALSO:
INTERLAKEN PARAGLIDING
SHERLOCK HOLMES MUSEUM - MEIRINGEN
MOUNT PILATUS COG TRAIN & CABLE
