Buechiwald tunnel project making progress

The Bernese Oberland Railway (BOB) is planning to build a 700-metre-long tunnel between Zweilütschinen and Grindelwald. Today, Wednesday, the project was published in the Anzeiger Interlaken newspaper.

The existing 60-metre-long Buechiwald railway tunnel is located on the Bernese Oberland Railway section between Zweilütschinen and Grindelwald. The tunnel is in need of renovation and its internal profile no longer meets current standards. The rail sections before and after the tunnel are endangered by natural hazards such as avalanches, land and snow slips, rock falls and wind-blown trees. The Bernese Oberland Railway intends to eliminate these problems by building an approximately 700-metre-long tunnel. It is also planned to straighten the railway track both before and after the tunnel. At present the track has curves with a radius of less than 100 metres on the Buechiwald section. In future the curves should have a radius of at least 200 metres. The Bernese Oberland Railway commissioned the initial study in 2001. This was followed by preliminary geological clarifications. A feasibility study showed quite clearly that the best solution was the construction of a tunnel. The planning approval procedure has now been initiated and today, Wednesday, the project was published in the Anzeiger Interlaken newspaper. If the project runs according to plan, construction will commence in spring 2013 and is expected to take 30 months. The Bernese Oberland Railway anticipates costs in the region of 36 million francs.