Jungfrau Railways

Investor Relations

Media

Services & Partner

Erneuerung Firstbahn

Firstbahn – ride to a leisure and adventure paradise

Firstbahn AG operates the First cablecar from Grindelwald to First – Top of Adventure. Many attractions await guests on the experience mountain: mountain vista from the vantage platform «First View», spectacular tour of the First Cliff Walk by Tissot, a fast-paced ride with the First Flyer (Tyrolienne) or the First Glider, an adventurous ride in the Mountain Cart and a downhill ride with the Trottibike. With its five winter sports facilities, half-pipe and the Snowpark, the sunniest ski area of the Jungfrau Ski Region is popular in winter with locals, freestylers and holidaymakers from all over the world. At the mountain station guests will find the restaurant with catering offerings, shop and a tourist accommodation.

Construction of the chairlift after the Second World War

The initial ideas for the construction of a First «railway», albeit as a funicular, began to evolve in the 1930s. A company was founded in 1938. However, the various projects ground to a halt, mainly because of the Second World War. After the end of the war, the Ludwig von Roll’schen Eisenwerke AG designed a completely new system for mountain «railways» that was used on First: the chairlift. The cost of such an installation was far lower than any other previously known mountain railway system. On December 1946, the two sections of Grindelwald-Oberhaus and Oberhaus-Bort, and on February 1947 the Bort-Egg section as well as the Egg-First section were handed over to the company. The official inauguration took place on 15 June 1947.

A development concept for the entire First area was elaborated in 1986. This included replacement of the chairlift with its open, side-facing chairs. Thanks to a slightly amended route and coordinated planning, construction of the 6-seater aerial gondola began on 7 June 1990 with the groundbreaking ceremony for Bort intermediate station. The old chairlift continued to operate unhindered until it finally closed on 18 August 1991. The new aerial gondola began operating in November 1991, covering the difference in height of 1,105 metres in 25 minutes.

Second renewal of the First transport system

The transport system to the First needs to be renewed for the second time, as the concession for the current railway expires in 2034. In May 2024, those responsible for the First gondola decided in favour of a new route from Grindelwald/Fuhrenmatte station. The advantages of the new route include better connections to public transport, traffic calming for Grindelwald thanks to less feeder traffic and a modern cable car system with less impact on the landscape. 

A «Triline» tricable system from Doppelmayr/Garaventa has been chosen. The system convinces with an impressively high level of transport comfort, smooth running, energy efficiency, high wind stability and load-bearing capacity, as well as long spans for the cable bays. Thanks to the high cable guide, the best possible distance from affected residential buildings can be achieved and no forest path is necessary. Around 70 cabins offer twelve seats and standing room for an additional five people at peak times. In the future, queues at stations will belong to the past. The total costs are currently expected to exceed CHF 100 million, including a new mountain lodge on First and an expansion of the current snowmaking system.