“Thanks to bbv’s know-how, we now have a group reservation system that provides optimum support – both for daily railway operations and strategic planning.”
Dominique Horne, Sales Manager at Brienz Rothorn Bahn AG
The Brienz Rothorn railway – the only Swiss cogwheel railway with daily steam train rides – has been taking passengers to the summit of the Rothorn since 1892. The smooth running of the railway, shop and mountain lodge requires efficient, streamlined processes and precise daily planning and coordination.
The old reservation system had reached its limits: making group reservations involved multiple complex operations for the railway employees. Relevant information was spread across several different systems, making a daily overview of reservations difficult.
Brienz Rothorn Bahn AG also employs new temporary staff every season, who would then have to be extensively trained.
For this reason, Brienz Rothorn Bahn AG was looking for a new, easy-to-operate group reservation system that would provide employees with all the relevant information in a clear format. A new user interface with improved user guidance was intended to help railway employees accomplish their daily tasks more quickly and easily.

Industry expertise for a new solution
Together with the customer, bbv identified the biggest drawbacks when using the old reservation system. Nothing new for the software experts: bbv has developed state-of-the-art reservation systems for Swiss railway operators in the past.
The bbv project team was able to draw on this expertise for Brienz Rothorn Bahn AG to develop a proposal for the new software solution. The aim: to develop a complete solution to fully replace the old reservation system – without relinquishing the basic functions of the previous solution.
After five months, bbv presented Brienz Rothorn Bahn AG with a customised, state-of-the-art reservation system with optimised UX and a responsive design. bbv also helped the customer redesign their business processes to enable end users to get the most out of the system.
Everything at a glance
A success: the new user interface and the improved user experience help users manage their reservations quickly and straightforwardly. Group reservations are recorded and information such as date, time, number of people and method of payment is sent automatically to the group leaders by e-mail as confirmation of the reservation.
The new system also provides Brienz Rothorn Bahn AG with a clear overview of all figures relating to passengers and railway traffic. And it also automatically generates monthly or seasonal reports on the number of visitors, wagon utilisation and other key business-critical data.
This provides Brienz Rothorn Bahn AG with sound underlying data for resource planning. The new software solution provides the management of Brienz Rothorn Bahn AG with an important tool for planning and adapting their business strategy.
Added value for Brienz Rothorn Bahn AG
- Efficient group reservations: the custom software for Brienz Rothorn Bahn AG makes for a more efficient and user-friendly group reservations process. The result is a smooth booking procedure that increases customer satisfaction.
- Industry expertise for seamless processes: thanks to their experience, bbv is familiar with the specific requirements of railway operators. This know-how ensures a reliable and stable solution that minimises malfunctions and increases operating efficiency.
- Optimised business processes: not only does the new software help Brienz Rothorn Bahn AG with their processes, it also facilitates effective strategic planning. As a result, business processes can be adapted more quickly and the company can respond to changing market requirements, which saves costs and increases competitiveness in the long term.