Interlaken ship canal

Interlaken Ship Canal
The turning basin near the head of the Interlaken ship canal
Map
Specifications
Locksnone
StatusNavigable
History
Date completed1892
The quay at the head of the Interlaken ship canal. The platforms of Interlaken West station are at a higher level to the right.
Canal connecting lake Thun with the Interlaken quay / railway station.
BLS passenger ship Stadt Thun alongside the quay.

The Interlaken ship canal (German: Interlaken Schiffskanal) is a 2.75-kilometre (1.71 mi) long canal in the Swiss canton of Bern. It connects Lake Thun with a quay in the town of Interlaken adjacent to Interlaken West railway station, thus allowing shipping services on the lake to serve the town and connect with railway services. It is still in regular use by the Lake Thun passenger ships of the BLS AG.

The canal parallels the Aar river throughout its length. It has no locks and maintains the same water level as Lake Thun throughout. As a consequence, the water level of the canal at Interlaken West is significantly lower than that of the adjacent river and surrounding land.

At the other side of Interlaken, the uppermost reach of the Interlaken section of the Aar river is used by the Lake Brienz passenger ships of the BLS AG to reach Interlaken Ost railway station. However there is no navigable connection between the two lakes, and in the 5.5 km (3.4 mi) between them the Aar river drops some 6 metres (20 ft), passing over several weirs.