Where to Ski And Snowboard - Work underway on Eiger Express

Work underway on Eiger Express

14th May 2020, by Abi Butcher

The Grindelwald-Männlichen gondola opened last year, the Eiger Express will follow in December

The Jungfrau ski region has confirmed its huge gondola/cable car hybrid to Eigergletscher will in operation by December 2020 as work continues on its V-Cableway project.

Work began on the Eiger Express last year. The new tricable lift will transport 1800 skiers and sightseers per hour from Grindelwald at 937m to Eigergletscher at 2328m. It will cut the current journey time to 20 minutes, with 26-seater cabins.

The lift links in with the new Grindelwald-Männlichen aerial gondola, the first part of the V-Cableway project, which opened last December. This gondola has 111 cabins, doubling the transport capacity of the previous four-seater, 40-year-old two-stage lift, from 900 to 1800 guests per hour in a reduced journey time from 30 to 19 minutes.

When it swings into operation in December, the Eiger Express will have 44 cabins, seating 26 sightseers and skiers — with a journey time of 15 minutes over 6,483m. The lift will take visitors close to the famous north face of the Eiger on their way to the Jungfraujoch, 47 minutes faster than the current journey.

The Wengernalp Railway has also increased the number of trains, with six new panorama trains added to the Lauterbrunnen-Kleine Scheidegg route as part of the V-Cableway project, taking visitors directly to the Grindelwald terminal.

The whole project has cost $470million and began in July 2018. When finished, the V-Cableway will reduce journey time from Bern to the ski slopes to one hour and 49 minutes, and from Zürich to two hours and 51 minutes. More information available on the project website v-bahn.jungfrau.ch