Le téléphérique de Grindelwald n'affecte pas le site du patrimoine mondial de l'Unesco
Published: Tuesday, Apr 30th 2024, 14:10
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The new V-Cableway in Grindelwald has not led to an increase in conflicts between humans and nature. This is the conclusion of a study by the Unesco World Heritage Jungfrau-Aletsch Foundation. Earlier fears have not been confirmed.
The flow of visitors is well managed and is close to the planned infrastructure, the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Foundation (Saja) announced at a press conference on Tuesday. It therefore considers the need for action to be small.
Saja carried out visitor monitoring in 2019 before the Eiger Express went into operation and in 2023 in its third year of operation. It found that guests have been traveling to the Jungfraujoch on the Eiger Express "as expected" since the V-Cableway went into operation, as Saja project manager Jessica Oehler said.
The Jungfrau Railways V-Cableway takes passengers in a gondola lift from Grindelwald up to the Eiger Glacier. From there, they can travel on to the Jungfraujoch by cogwheel railroad. In the past, they used to travel on the Wengernalp Railway via Kleine Scheidegg to the Eiger Glacier station.
In 2023, just over 2 million people used the Eiger Express, choosing the direct route to the Jungfraujoch. The flow of visitors shifted from Kleine Scheidegg to the Eiger Glacier station, as Oehler said. Nevertheless, Kleine Scheidegg is a popular destination for hikers in summer and an important starting point for winter sports in winter.
The challenge of wildlife sanctuaries
Visitor frequencies at the Eigerwalk, Eigertrail, Moräne, Wengernalp and Rotstöcki sites studied remained at a similar level during the study period. Contrary to earlier fears, Saja has not observed any increase in violations or conflicts between people and nature. Nevertheless, one of the challenges is respect for wildlife sanctuaries.
The need for action is small, Saja and Jungfrau Railways want to implement individual smaller measures. These include putting up information boards and making guests more aware of the region as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Additional people will also be deployed to guide the flow of guests.
The Saja also showed that the average length of stay of guests in the entire region has decreased. This is mainly due to the shorter travel time via the Eiger Express to the Jungfraujoch, said Oehler.
"Want the first S-Bahn in the Alps"
Urs Kessler, CEO of Jungfrau Railways, expressed his satisfaction with the results of the study. The V-Cableway and the entire public transport system are very important for the region and further investments are planned. The Bernese Oberland Railway, for example, has ordered 10 new multiple-unit trains to increase capacity, said Kessler.
In future, a quarter-hourly service between Interlaken Ost and Grindelwald will be the aim. "We want the first S-Bahn in the Alps," said Kessler.
Unesco had requested that the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) compare visitor flows before and after the construction of the V-Cableway. This was in order to rule out any possible impairment of the "Outstanding Universal Value" of the Unesco World Heritage Site by the new railroad. The high mountain landscape around the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 2001.
The study, which was carried out by Saja on behalf of the FOEN and together with the Geographical Institute of the University of Bern, has not yet been published.
©Keystone/SDA
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