In 1872, the standard gauge
Bödelibahn railway opened from
Därligen, on
Lake Thun, to Interlaken, as
Interlaken West station was then known. Two years later it was extended to
Bönigen, on
Lake Brienz, via a new station that was at first known as Interlaken Zollhaus. Initially this line was unconnected to the rest of the Swiss railway system, and merely served as a link between the steamships on both lakes. In 1893, the line reached
Thun, with onward connections to
Bern and beyond, eventually becoming part of the BLS. In 1890, the metre gauge
Berner Oberland railway opened, adopting Interlaken Zollhaus as the terminus of its route to the tourist destinations of
Lauterbrunnen and
Grindelwald. As a consequence, Interlaken Zollhaus became more important, and was renamed Interlaken Ost. At the same time the original Interlaken station became Interlaken West. Meanwhile, in 1888, the metre gauge
Brünig railway had opened between
Brienz, on
Lake Brienz, and
Alpnachstad, on
Lake Lucerne, thus providing a through steamer and rail connection from Interlaken to
Lucerne. By 1916 the Brünig railway had reached Interlaken Ost from Brienz, and, together an earlier extension at its eastern end, provided a through rail route to Lucerne. Standard gauge passenger service between Interlaken Ost and Bönigen ceased in 1969, although much of the line still exists in order to provide access to the BLS workshops as described above. == Operation ==