Tourism Jungfrau Railways invests 70 million francs in new cable cars

The Jungfrau Railways Group is ordering new cableway installations for the First and Kleine Scheidegg ski areas worth a total of 70 million Swiss francs.

The Austrian cable car manufacturers Doppelmayr/Garaventa and Leitner have been awarded the contract, as was reported in a press release on Thursday.

Doppelmayr/Garaventa is to supply the "Triline" 3-cableway system for the new route from Grindelwald station to First. The system has impressed with its high level of transportation comfort, energy efficiency, good wind stability and load-bearing capacity as well as long spans for the rope fields, according to the statement. Thanks to the high cable guide, the "best possible distance" to affected residential buildings can be achieved on the first part of the route.

As is known, the Jungfrau Railway Group wants to renew the First Railway, whose concession expires in 2034. The Fuhrenmatte/Grindelwald variant was chosen for the replacement, with a new direct connection to Grindelwald station. In addition, the Isch-Bodmi chairlift and a new mountain lodge on the First are to be built. Investments will also be made in snowmaking. The costs for the entire project are likely to amount to over 100 million francs.

According to the press release, the determination of the railroad system, together with the test planning to clarify spatial planning and architectural issues regarding the new valley station, is central to further planning. This will form the basis for the adjustments to the land use plan, which will also be put to a vote by the citizens of Grindelwald. The next step will be to inform the landowners of the details.

Meanwhile, in the Kleine Scheidegg ski area, the Wixi-Fallboden chairlift, whose concession expired at the end of October 2022, is to be replaced with lifts from the Leitner company. Assuming a speedy spatial planning process, the Group expects the new six-seater chairlift to go into operation for the 2026/2027 winter season. The costs for this are estimated at 13 million Swiss francs.

SDA