Kleine Scheidegg railway station

Kleine Scheidegg is a railway station and hub^[2] that is situated on the summit of Kleine Scheidegg, a mountain pass in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. The pass, located between the Lauberhorn and the Eiger's ridge, houses a complex of hotels and railway buildings. Administratively, the station is in the municipality of Lauterbrunnen in the canton of Bern, a few metres from the border with the municipality of Grindelwald.^[3][4]

Kleine Scheidegg
Aerial view
General information
Location	Kleine Scheidegg, Lauterbrunnen, Bern Switzerland
Coordinates	46°35′04″N 07°57′34″E
Elevation	2,061 m (6,762 ft)[1]
Line(s)	Wengernalp Railway Jungfrau Railway
Platforms	6
History
Opened	10 August 1892; 133 years ago (1892-08-10)
Electrified	3 June 1909; 116 years ago (1909-06-03)
Services
Preceding station Jungfraubahn AG Following station Wengernalp towards Lauterbrunnen Wengernalp Railway Terminus Alpiglen towards Grindelwald Terminus Jungfrau Railway Eigergletscher towards Jungfraujoch
Location Kleine Scheidegg Location in Switzerland

The station is the culminating point of the Wengernalp Railway (WAB), whose trains operate to Kleine Scheidegg from Lauterbrunnen via Wengen, and separately from Grindelwald. It is also the lower terminus of the Jungfrau Railway (JB), whose trains climb within the Eiger to the Jungfraujoch. All passengers travelling to the Jungfraujoch, or between Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald, must change trains at the station.^[1][3] At 2,061 metres above sea level, it is the highest railway hub in Switzerland and Europe, and the third highest railway crossing on the continent.^[5] The widest section of the station has about 10 parallel tracks.^[3]

WAB trains from Lauterbrunnen enter the station at its western end, and from Grindelwald at its eastern end, but no through trains are operated. This is principally because of the need, for safety reasons, to have each train's motorcar or locomotive at its downhill end. The WAB tracks at Kleine Scheidegg includes a, partially underground, wye track to allow trains to be reversed, opposite to the Jungfrau Railway tracks, but this is not used for trains in passenger service.^[1][4]

The WAB and JB use different rail gauges, different electrification systems and different rack railway technology, and are not physically connected. The depot of the JB is located at Kleine Scheidegg, but not the line's workshops. These are located at Eigergletscher station, one stop up the line.^[1][4]

The station is served by the following passenger trains:^[6][7]

The WAB side of the station, with the JB just visible behind the station building

The JB side of the station

Operator	Train Type	Route	Typical Frequency	Notes
Wengernalp Railway		Lauterbrunnen - Wengwald - Wengen - Allmend - Wengernalp - Kleine Scheidegg	2 per hour
Wengernalp Railway		Grindelwald - Grindelwald Grund - Brandegg - Alpiglen - Kleine Scheidegg	2 per hour
Jungfrau Railway		Kleine Scheidegg - Eigergletscher - Eigerwand - Eismeer - Jungfraujoch	2 per hour

See also

• List of highest railway stations in Switzerland
• Rail transport in Switzerland