Interlaken West railway station

Interlaken West is a railway station in the resort town of Interlaken, in the Swiss canton of Bern. It is on the Thunersee line of the BLS AG, and is one of two stations in the town, the other being Interlaken Ost. In addition to trains operated directly by the BLS, the station is also reached by passenger trains of the Swiss Federal Railways and Deutsche Bahn.[4]

Interlaken West
The station platforms in 2019
General information
LocationBahnhofstrasse 28
Interlaken
Switzerland
Coordinates46°40′56″N 07°51′05″E / 46.68222°N 7.85139°E / 46.68222; 7.85139
Elevation563 m (1,847 ft)
Owned byBLS AG
Line(s)Lake Thun line
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Train operators
Connections
Construction
Parking61
Other information
Station codeIW
Fare zone750 (Libero)[2]
Passengers
20236'500 per weekday[3] (BLS, SBB)
Services
Preceding station BLS Following station
Spiez
Terminus
RE9 Interlaken Ost
Terminus
Spiez
towards Montreux
GoldenPass Express
Preceding station DB Fernverkehr Following station
Spiez ICE 12 Interlaken Ost
Terminus
Spiez ICE 20 Interlaken Ost
One-way operation
Preceding station Swiss Federal Railways Following station
Spiez EuroCity Interlaken Ost
Terminus
Spiez
towards Basel SBB
IC 61
Spiez
towards Romanshorn
IC 81
Location
Interlaken West is located in Switzerland
Interlaken West
Interlaken West
Location within Switzerland
Interlaken West is located in Canton of Bern
Interlaken West
Interlaken West
Interlaken West (Canton of Bern)

The lines through the station are standard gauge and are electrified at 15 kV AC. There are two tracks, narrowing to a single track at either end of the station, and each track is served by a side platform. The station building is situated on the eastern platform.[4]

The station also provides an interchange with the local bus network provided by PostBus Switzerland and the regional bus line to Thun provided by Verkehrsbetriebe STI. Ships of the BLS-owned fleet on Lake Thun serve a quay at Interlaken West, which they access via the 2.75-kilometre (1.71 mi) long Interlaken ship canal.

History

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Originally known simply as Interlaken, Interlaken West was the first station to be opened in the town, when the Bödelibahn railway reached it from Därligen, on Lake Thun in 1872. Two years later the railway was extended to Bönigen, on Lake Brienz, via Interlaken Zollhaus station.[5]

Over time, Zollhaus station became the more important station, being also served by the Brünig railway and the Bernese Oberland railway. As a result, Interlaken station was renamed Interlaken West, and Interlaken Zollhaus was renamed Interlaken Ost.[5]

Services

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As of the December 2023 timetable change, the following services stop at Interlaken West; all eastbound/southbound trains terminate in Interlaken Ost:[6][7]

References

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  1. ^ "Liniennetz Interlaken und Umgebung" (PDF) (in German). Libero. 10 December 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Zonenplan Plan des Zones" (PDF) (in German and French). Libero. 10 December 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Passagierfrequenz (2023)". Interlaken, Switzerland: SBB CFF FFS. 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2024 – via data.sbb.ch – SBB DATA PORTAL.
  4. ^ a b Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz. Verlag Schweers + Wall GmbH. 2012. p. 82. ISBN 978-3-89494-130-7.
  5. ^ a b "The history of BLS Navigation". BLS AG. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  6. ^ "Bern - Thun - Spiez - Interlaken" (PDF) (in German). 25 October 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  7. ^ "Abfahrt: Bahnhof/Station Interlaken West" (PDF). BLS AG (in German and English). 10 December 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
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