Montreux Oberland Train – Swiss Rail Transport

At the end of the 19th century, one began to open up the area of Montreux with a railway track.  The tracks were gradually widened and reached Lenk by 1912.  The MOB travels on narrow gauges, which means the tracks are closer together than on a normal line.  These types of tracks are found often in Switzerland, as tight curves have to be mastered in the mountainous landscape.  This is easier to overcome with narrow track gauge.  The Retro-Romanian train, the Virgin train and the Matterhorn-Goddard train are just some examples that show a track width of one metre.  The narrow track gauge are also used by most of the Swiss trams.

The Montreux-Berner Oberland Railway company, was the first with the idea to introduce narrow gauge panorama wagons – of course with air conditioning.  They wanted to ensure that the passengers could enjoy the wonderful surroundings to the full.  After many trials, it was agreed to glaze the roof and the windows separately.  The first panorama train, the Panoramic Express As 110, travelled in 1979.  This type of journey met approval and further panorama trains were built.  Over the years, technical updates were integrated, e.g. noise protection, which provided even more travel comfort.  The best seats in the panorama train are at the very front in the bow, as in the MOB, the passenger can enjoy the same view that normally only the driver has.  Whoever loves romantic and nostalgia should travel the line from Genf lake up to the world of the Bern Alps in the trains of the Belle Epoque, with original Pullman wagons from 1915.

Have a Good Journey!  Travelling with the Montreux Oberland Train (MOB)

The Swiss narrow gauge railway MOB commences in Montreux.  It travels 75 kilometres before it reaches the last station, Lenk.  On it’s journey through Switzerland, it passes through three cantons: Bern, Freiburg and Waadt.  Apart from in Montreux, the trains of the Montreux Oberland Railway also stop in other popular villages, such as Gstaad and Saanen.

A train journey with the MOB is rewarded with a breathtaking view of the pretty Swiss landscape, with high snow covered mountain peaks, sparkling lakes and green meadows.  The train sometimes corkscrews up and down in the serpentine mountains. The passengers can see five Swiss regions out of the window: the area around the Genf lake, the Greyerzer area, the Pays d’Enhaut and the Saanland and Simmental.

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