Eiger Express

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Eiger Express
Eiger Express gondola above Grindelwald
Overview
StatusOperational
CharacterRecreational
LocationGrindelwald, Bernese Oberland
CountrySwitzerland
Coordinates46°37′29″N 8°01′08″E / 46.6247°N 8.0189°E / 46.6247; 8.0189
TerminiGrindelwald Terminal
Eigergletscher Station
Elevationlowest:  947 m (3,107 ft)
highest: 2,328 m (7,638 ft)
Built byDoppelmayr/Garaventa
LTW
Frey AG [1][2]
Construction cost470million CHF[3]
OpenDecember 2020; 3 years ago (2020-12) [4]
WebsiteOfficial Website
Operation
OperatorJungfraubahn
No. of carriers44
Carrier capacity26 (per carrier)
Trip duration15 min
Fare64.- CHF July 2022
Technical features
Aerial lift typeTri-cable gondola detachable
Manufactured byDoppelmayr/Garaventa[1]
Line length6483m
No. of support towers7

The Eiger Express is a gondola cableway linking Grindelwald with the Eigergletscher that opened in December, 2020.[5]

History[edit]

The Eiger Express was constructed as part of a wider project known as V-cableway. This included a new station, Grindelwald Terminal, the replacement of the Männlichen cableway and the construction of the Eiger Express.[6]

The project beginnings were formed back in 2008, when a replacement railway station for Kleine Schiedegg was explored to be underground. It was ultimately not pursued. A later project for a Y cableway was considered but abandoned in 2011. In 2012, the first plans for the V cableway were undertaken and in 2014 a vote took place in Grindelwald to decide if it should be built. The vote did not pass, however a second plan was approved in early 2015.[7][8][9]

Planning permission was granted in 2015, however construction did not begin until April 2018 due to 17 objections needing to be rectified.[10] A long running objection was from local man, and former Jungfraubahn employee Otto Kaufman, who demanded £750,000 in compensation.[11][12] Ground was broken on 3 July 2018, and the project at that point had cost 12million CHF. In March 2019, tunnelling works on the Eiger were completed to allow for progress to continue during the year constructing the new station for Eigergletscher and skiing areas. From May 2020, the gondolas were constructed for the Eiger Express.

In December 2020, the Eiger Express opened. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the opening was a very limited attendance event with several executives and two eagles in attendance.[7][13]

Operation[edit]

The passenger hall at Eigergletscher with visible ticket barriers to access the Jungfraujoch train to the right

The Eiger Express takes 15 minutes in total duration, travelling at 8 meters per second across a total distance of 6483 meters.[14] The Eiger Express allows a faster access to the Jungfraujoch summit by 47 minutes.[15][16] There are 44 gondolas, that can hold a maximum of 26 people. In addition, there is a VIP gondola numbered 888 which features a champagne bar in the centre of the cabin.[17] There is a capacity of 2,200 people per hour to be transported. Due to the tri-cable system, there are only seven towers on the route, and the gondolas pass within 1800 meters of the Eiger north face.[18][19]

Upon arrival at the gondola station, there is a new passenger hall that has been constructed to connect to the Eigergletscher railway station. Transfers to the Jungfraujoch train can be made, alongside exits for walkers and skiers. There is a bistro within the new building.[20][21]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Spectacular tricable gondola to the Eiger Glacier". Doppelmayr. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  2. ^ "spectacular atria ride to the eige glacier in Switzerland". CWA. Archived from the original on 18 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Remarkable Eiger Express is Fully Open After Nearly £400m Spend". inthesnow.com. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Where Is Eiger Express? Here Is an Overview". Touring Switzerland. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  5. ^ "Eiger Express" (PDF). ltw.at. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  6. ^ "The V-cableway Project". Jungfraubahn AG. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  7. ^ a b "V Cableway Project". jungfrau.ch. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  8. ^ "Wärgistaler erteilen Eiger-Express grünes Licht" (in German). Jungfrau Zeitung. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  9. ^ "Grindelwald sendet das erhoffte Signal aus" (in German). Jungfrau Zeitung. 25 October 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  10. ^ "Jungfrau V-bahn railway project gets green light overcoming opposition". theskiguru.com. 5 June 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  11. ^ "IT'S ALL IN THE TIMING…". skiandboardonline.co.uk. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  12. ^ "Der Schneewall war ein Erpressungsversuch" (in German). 20minuten. 27 December 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  13. ^ "Eagles fly in to take part in the official opening of the Eiger Express". skier and snowboarder. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  14. ^ "Eiger Express (YOC 2020)". skiresort.info. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  15. ^ "The Swiss mountain that's changing forever". National Geographic. December 2020. Archived from the original on March 25, 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  16. ^ "Eiger Express spart bis zu 47 Minuten Reisezeit" (in French). htr.ch. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  17. ^ "The New Ultra-Modern Eiger Express to the Spectacular Jungfraujoch". europeupclose.com. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  18. ^ "Eiger Express: Experience a gondola ride with panoramic views". interlaken.ch. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  19. ^ "Eiger Express Cable Car from Grindelwald to Eigergletscher and Jungfraujoch". European Traveller. 2 January 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  20. ^ "EIGERGLETSCHER BISTRO". jungfrau.ch. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  21. ^ "EIGER GLACIER RAILWAY STATION". jungfrau.ch. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
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