Mountain trains, cable cars and buses: what runs on your date

Landscapes in the Swiss mountains can be a delight in autumn, with the colours changing. But you need to plan well, because a lot of mountain transport runs a limited service at this time of year, and many lines close.

I went to the Göscheneralpsee in mid-September 2026, in the last week the bus from Göschenen ran on weekdays. After that it ran only at weekends, until 18 October.

This guide shows which mountain trains, cable cars, funiculars and buses run on the date you pick, from 1 October to 31 December 2026. The tool below covers more than 500 lines across Switzerland, with the dates each operator has published.

In short

• Most closures fall between late October and early December: either a maintenance break of one to six weeks, called a revision, or the end of the summer season.
• On a weekday in mid-November, about half of the lines in the tool are closed.
• Some mountains keep a way up. The Rigi’s cogwheel railways run all year, and at Titlis, the Jungfraujoch, Stoos and Matterhorn Glacier Paradise another lift runs while one is closed.
• The PostBus routes over the Central Alps passes ended on 4 October 2026. In Graubünden, the Julier, Maloja, Bernina and Ofen pass buses run all year, some with fewer buses from late October.
• Where an operator has not published its reopening yet, the tool shows an estimate based on the dates of the past years.
• Dates can change at short notice with early snow or bad weather. Check the operator’s page before you go.

How to use the tool

• Pick your date, between 1 October and 31 December 2026.
• Narrow the list by major region, canton, region, town, mountain, or a single lift, train or bus.
• Green means the line runs, amber means a limited service (reduced timetable, weekends only, a replacement service or rides on request), red means closed, and grey means the operator has not published that period.
• Tap a pin on the map to see every lift on that mountain, with its dates and the next change. The list under the map shows the same lines by region.
• Under each line you see where the date comes from and when it was checked.
• Public holidays are not taken into account. Boats are not included.

What closes when

Pass buses end first. The PostBus routes over the Grimsel, Susten, Furka, Nufenen and Gotthard passes ran from 20 June to 4 October 2026; the Grimsel line kept a reduced service until 11 October. The bus to Göscheneralp and the Lukmanier PostBus run until 18 October, the Flüela PostBus until 25 October.

Summer-only lines close in late October and November. The Schynige Platte railway, the Brienz Rothorn steam railway, the Gelmerbahn and the Pfingstegg cable car run until 25 October, the Niesen funicular until 8 November, the Stanserhorn until 22 November, and the Harder Kulm funicular and the Pilatus cogwheel railway until 29 November.

Lifts that run in winter close for a revision between the seasons. Some examples from the tool:

Line	Closed in 2026
Glacier 3000	19 October to 6 November
Grindelwald First	26 October to 27 November
Männlichen (both lifts)	26 October to 11 December
Gornergrat railway	2 to 14 November, no replacement
Eiger Express	9 to 20 November
Cardada cable car	9 November to 18 December
Monte Generoso railway	9 November to 4 December

Winter seasons start from mid-November to mid-December, for example Parsenn in Davos on 20 November, Corvatsch on 21 November, Männlichen on 12 December and Diavolezza on 19 December.

Common mistakes

• Thinking a mountain is closed because one lift is. At Titlis, Stoos, the Jungfraujoch and Matterhorn Glacier Paradise another lift often runs instead.
• Missing that some closures are weekdays only. Several cable cars close Monday to Friday and run at weekends, for example the Stoos funicular from 23 November.
• Planning a pass-road bus trip in October. Most pass buses stop at the start of the month.
• Treating an estimated reopening as a fixed date. Operators can move dates, especially with early snow.
• Missing the last ride down. Autumn timetables often end earlier: the last train up to Harder Kulm leaves at 17:10 from 9 November.

Useful links

• SBB timetable for connections to the valley stations
• alpen-paesse.ch for the status of the pass roads
• Each line in the tool links to its operator’s timetable page
• Aare Gorge (Aareschlucht): walking the gorge near Meiringen

Questions (FAQ)

Why do Swiss mountain railways and cable cars close in autumn?

Most closures are the yearly maintenance break between the summer and winter seasons, which operators call a revision. Other lines run only in summer and stop for the winter, usually between late October and late November. Pass buses depend on the pass roads, which close with snow.

Can I still go up a mountain in November?

Yes. The Rigi’s cogwheel railways run all year, and Titlis, the Jungfraujoch, the Schilthorn, Matterhorn Glacier Paradise and Monte Brè have at least one line running every day of November 2026. Pick a date in the tool to see what runs on your day.

Is the Jungfraujoch open in November 2026?

Yes. The Eiger Express is closed from 9 to 20 November and the Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg railway from 9 November to 4 December. In that time you reach the Jungfraujoch from Grindelwald by the railway to Kleine Scheidegg, then the Jungfrau Railway.

Do the PostBus pass routes run in autumn?

The Central Alps routes over the Grimsel, Susten, Furka, Nufenen and Gotthard ended on 4 October 2026, the Grimsel line on 11 October. In Graubünden the Julier, Maloja, Bernina and Ofen pass lines run all year, while the Flüela, Splügen and San Bernardino pass runs end on 25 October. Only the multi-pass tours from Meiringen, Andermatt and Airolo take seat reservations.

What does the estimated reopening in the tool mean?

Some operators publish their winter or summer start only weeks before. In those cases the tool shows an approximate period, such as mid-May 2027, worked out from the opening dates of the past years. Check the operator’s page before you plan around it.

What happens if it snows early?

Operators can change dates and hours at short notice, and some open earlier when there is enough snow. The dates in the tool are the ones published when we checked them, shown under each line.

Sources

The date for each line comes from its operator’s own site, linked in the tool under the line with the date checked (8 and 9 October 2026). Where the operator’s site and the official timetable differ, the operator’s site is used.

• Mountain railway, cable car and bus operators (linked in the tool)
• PostBus and the official Swiss timetable publication (oev-info.ch)
• SBB
• swisstopo (stations, communes and cantons)
• Federal Statistical Office (major regions)

Last checked 8 October 2026