Mountain biking in Central Switzerland and Bern

At this year’s mountain bike business meeting, representatives from Central Switzerland and Bern discussed possible forms of cooperation.

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Only a few of the 105 participants in the “Brünig Dialogue 2022” came out of the meeting room at Meiringen Airport on Tuesday afternoon without at least one bike flyer in hand. The 10th business meeting Obwalden-Haslital Brienz on the topic “Mountain bike – opportunity and challenge” took place there.

Hans-Ulrich Zwahlen, President of the Mountain Bike Interest Group of the Canton of Bern (BEBike), was “responsible” for this. Just as persistently as he pressed the flyers into the hands of men and women, Zwahlen had earlier in his lecture “for accepted biking on forest and hiking trails”, legal trails, prevention of bike bans and for the development and maintenance of trails and routes used.

According to Zwahlen, of the total of 10,000 kilometers of hiking trails in the canton of Berne, “peaceful coexistence between bikers and hikers should be possible on at least 8,000 kilometers”. Such a coexistence – “bringing hikers and cyclists together” – had already been desired by the Bern government councilor Christoph Ammann in his words of welcome to the event.

In his presentation, Hans-Ulrich Zwahlen also referred to the economic added value: It is often not noticed that “there are around 118 companies with a total of around 1400 employees in the Bern specialist trade.” It is also important for Zwahlen “that the bikers register as BEBike members so that they have a voice and support the commitment of this organization”. The association has had statutes and a strategy paper that covers the entire canton since 2021.

Mission “Bikegenossen Central Switzerland”

Administratively and organizationally, the organization “Bikegenossen Zentralschweiz” is not yet as advanced as the Bernese, but just as convinced of the good cause of mountain biking. Thomy Vetterli, Wolfenschiessen, as the representative of the organization in Meiringen, left no doubt about that. “The six cantons of Central Switzerland are on the way to becoming one of the most attractive bike regions in Switzerland,” said Vetterli about the vision of the project phase launched in 2021 in his presentation, which was presented with great passion. On the way to realizing this vision, “we would look forward to working with the Bernese”. This included national offers: for example, together with the central railway as a transport partner from Lucerne.

“The bike cooperative is the contact for politicians, organizations and landowners and supports the authorities in the implementation and development of local and regional infrastructure projects,” says one mission. And it promotes an attractive route network in Central Switzerland, although it is clear that route planning in six cantons in a confined space and with different legislation is difficult, explained Vetterli.

Train and high voltage in the tunnel

Another dimension of the business meeting was the project for a multifunctional cable railway system between Innertkirchen/BE and Oberwald/VS. The Nidwalden Council of States informed Hans Wicki, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Grimselbahn AG, about the current status of the project. The existing Meiringen–Innertkirchen route is to be extended to the south portal at Oberwald station with the core of a new, around 22-kilometre-long Grimsel tunnel. The route is planned as a single lane. “The idea of ​​a railway tunnel on the Grimsel has existed for decades,” says Councilor of States Wicki.

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The project became more specific because Swissgrid had to renew and expand the high-voltage line over the Grimsel. This line could now be replaced by a common tunnel system. The cable line would run parallel to the railway tunnel in a small tunnel. The costs are estimated at around 600 million Swiss francs. “The opportunity of this multifunctional and environmentally friendly project, which also has tourist advantages, must be used,” emphasized VR President Hans Wicki in Meiringen. The aim is a parliamentary decision on Grimselbahn financing in 2023.