Gornergrat Bahn timetable and frequency
The line is closed from 2 to 14 November 2026 for construction work. If your trip falls in that fortnight there is no train to the summit, and a ticket bought for those dates is a ticket for a railway that is not running.
How often the trains actually run
For the main season, 20 April to 1 November 2026, departures leave Zermatt every 24 minutes from 08:00. Ahead of that there is a 07:00 first train, and there are extra departures at either end of the day around a regular service of roughly 08:00 to 17:00. A 24-minute headway is the number worth remembering, because it changes how a missed train feels. You are not stranded, you are twenty-four minutes later, and the line moves about 2,400 people an hour when it is working hard.
Thirty-three minutes up, forty-four minutes down
The climb is 1,485 vertical metres over 9.339 km on an Abt rack, with a maximum gradient of 20%, which is why the descent is slower than the ascent. Thirty-three minutes up. Forty-four minutes down. Those two figures are the ones to build a day around: an hour and a quarter of your day is spent on the train before you have looked at anything. If you are planning to walk part of the way down instead, the arithmetic changes completely — see the hiking ticket.
The closure: 2 to 14 November 2026
This is the trap nobody warns about at the counter, and I watched it catch people every autumn. The railway shuts for construction work from 2 to 14 November 2026. It is not a reduced service or a weather cancellation, it is a closed line. Because the winter tariff band opens in November, this closure sits exactly where the cheaper fares begin, and people who have deliberately shifted their trip to catch the CHF 102 winter return sometimes shift it straight into the closed fortnight. Move to either side of it.
The reduced service from 15 November
When the line reopens on 15 November 2026 it runs a thinner timetable until 27 November: every 48 minutes from 08:24, with a 07:00 first train Monday to Friday. Double the gap between trains, which matters more than it sounds. A missed departure in that fortnight costs you the best part of an hour, and if you are walking down from Rotenboden or Riffelberg you want to know when the next train back is before you set off.
Why I do not print a last train time
Because the operator does not publish one that holds all year, and a wrong last train is the single most expensive mistake this website could make you make. The final descent moves with the season and the timetable period. Check it on the day on the operator’s live timetable, which is Gornergrat Bahn AG’s own page, not ours. I would rather send you to them than have you standing on a dark platform at 3,089 m because a guide site rounded a number.
Take an early train and keep the afternoon loose. The first departure at 07:00 and the early runs after 08:00 give you the summit before the day trips arrive, and they leave you enough daylight to walk down to Riffelberg if the weather turns out well.
Building a day around the frequency
- A straight return: 33 minutes up, an hour or so at the top, 44 minutes down. Half a day, comfortably.
- Up and walk down: ride to the summit, walk Rotenboden to Riffelberg in about an hour, catch a train from there. See what to do at the top.
- Hop off on the way: the ticket is valid for one day, and every station on the line is a legitimate stop except Riffelboden. The rundown is on the seven stations.
- In the closed fortnight: the cable cars on the other side of the valley are unaffected — see Gornergrat versus Glacier Paradise.
Check dates against the timetable
The GetYourGuide ticket is a return valid for one day, so the timetable rather than the booking decides your schedule. Pick a date outside the November closure and the voucher covers any train that runs.
Frequently asked questions
How often does the Gornergrat train run?
Every 24 minutes from 08:00 for the 20 April to 1 November 2026 season, with a 07:00 first train and a regular service running roughly 08:00 to 17:00. From 15 to 27 November it drops to every 48 minutes from 08:24.
How long is the Gornergrat train ride?
Thirty-three minutes from Zermatt to the summit and 44 minutes back down, over 9.339 km and 1,485 vertical metres. Which side of the train you sit on matters more than the time does — see where to sit.
When is the last train down from Gornergrat?
The operator does not publish a single last departure that holds all year, so I will not print one. Check the operator’s live timetable on the day of your visit before you go up, especially if you plan to walk part of the way down.
Is the Gornergrat Bahn ever closed?
Yes. The line is closed from 2 to 14 November 2026 for construction work, and the service from 15 to 27 November is reduced to every 48 minutes. Otherwise it runs year-round — the seasonal differences are on the best time to go.