The railroads of Switzerland include standard gauge (1.435 meters) and narrow gauge (usually 1 meter, occasionally less).
- Network size: 4'492 km (1'564 km double track)
- standard gauge: 3'483 km 1.435-m gauge (3'472 km electrified)
- narrow gauge: 982 km 1.000-m gauge (975 km electrified); 46 km 0.800-m gauge (46 km electrified)
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Narrow gauge lines
RhB, FOB, and BVZ
The Rhaetian Railways (RhB) is the longest narrow-gauge railway in Switzerland, linking Disentis, Davos and St. Moritz in the high Alps with Chur, a rail junction with the SBB. It passes through the upper Rhine Valley and several side valleys, as well as the Engadin, the upper valley of the Inn River. Total length: 366 kilometers.
The FO (Furka-Oberalp) is a narrow-gauge railway in the high southern alps. Its name refers to two passes, the Furka and the Oberalp. The Furka pass lies at the upper end of the Rhone valley. The Oberalp is the highest railway pass in the Alps at 2033 meters, and lies at the upper end of the Rhine valley. Total length of the railroad is 100 kilometers, and the line runs from Brig to Disentis.
The "Brig-Visp-Zermatt railway", commonly known as the Zermat RR, is a short line between Brig and Zermatt. It passes through the Visp and Matt Valleys, tributaries of the Rhone River. Total length: 43 kilometers.
In 2003, FO and BVZ merged to form the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn.
The Glacier Express runs on the three lines. A one-day trip in panoramic view cars takes tourists from Zermatt to St. Moritz, through some of the most spectacular scenery of the Alps.
Further lines
The Gornergrat Railway is a special version of the narrow gauge railways in the Alps. It climbs for nine kilometers from an elevation of 1600 meters near the Zermatt station of the Zermatt RR to a 3000 meter high end station on the shoulder of the Monte Rosa Mountain. The entire nine kilometers is a rack-and-pinion railway, or "zahnraeder" in German.
The Berner Oberland Bahn is a 24-kilometer line from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald. It begins at Interlaken Ost station and divides at Zweiluetschinen, about 10 kilometers south of Interlaken. The western branch leads to Lauterbrunnen, while the eastern branch leads to Grindelwald. It is possible to make a loop by taking the Lauterbrunnen branch and returning via the Grindelwald branch. The two branches are connected by the Wengernalp Bahn.
The Wengernalpbahn is a 19-kilometer line from Lauterbunnen to Grindelwald, leading over the Eiger ridge at the junction station of Kleine Scheidegg. In the winter, this junction is a ski resort served by many lifts and trails, as well as the rail line. Skiers can ride the train from the valleys below to return to the top of the runs.
The Jungfraubahn starts at Kleine Scheidegg and runs 9 kilometers through tunnels in the Eiger and Mönch, leading to the "Jungfraujoch," a saddle between the Mönch and the Jungfrau summits. At the saddle are a visitor center and an observatory. The Aletsch Glacier, largest in Europe, runs to the south toward the Rhone valley.
The Montreux-Oberland Bernois line runs 75 kilometers from Montreux on Lake Geneva (Lac Leman in French) to Zweisimmen, with a connecting line to Lenk im Simmental. The section from Montreux to Zweisimmen, approximately 63 kilometers long, is part of the "Golden Pass Panorama" trip from Montreux to Lucerne, a trip which combines rides on the MOB, the BLS and the Brunig lines.
From Interlaken, the narrow-gauge Brünigbahn section of SBB runs 74 kilometers further to Lucerne. It skirts Lake Brienz and passes through the range of mountains to the north of the lake via Brunig pass, and then drops into the Sarner Aa valley to Lucerne.
See also: Transportation in Switzerland
