The historic Swiss ski region of Jungfrau has announced a huge 470 million Swiss Franc (approximately £370m) investment to upgrade its transport infrastructure, with the money particularly focussed on upgrades centred on the resort of Grindelwald and its connection to the year round attraction of the Jungfraujoch, Europe's highest railway station and a year-round 'snow fun' destination.
The plan, named 'V Bahn' encompasses upgrades and improvements to everything from the areas famous cog railway network, to improved bus services, huge new car parks and new gondola lifts and associated buildings.
The improvements will improve speed, capacity and comfort on all routes and examples quoted include an almost halving of the time taken to travel from Grindelwald's Grund district, which will be a hub for aerial lifts, to the Jungfraujoch, reducing the journey time from 89 to 45 minutes; and a reduction of the total time from Berne to the Jungfraujoch of nearly 50 minutes from approximately 3 hours 20 mins to two hours 30 mins.
Work on V Bahn has already begun and the first improvements will be unveiled at the start of the 2019-20 season, with more following a year later.
In terms of lift upgrades the Grindelwald-Männlichen cable car will be replaced by a atate-of-the-art gondola with spacious cabins for 10 people, doubling capacity on the route from 900 to 1,800 people per hour and reducing the ascent time from 30 to 19 minutes. The old lift will cease operating after the coming ski season and the new lift will begin operating on 14 December 2019.
A new Eigerexpress lift will also be installed for the following winter 2020-21 offering a capacity of 2,400 people/h and a travel time from Grindelwald Grund to the Eiger glacier of 15 minutes.