Extremely Short Times For Chaning Trains

Nira,
Yes, 6 minutes to change trains is normal, they are designed and timetabled to work that way. One train comes in, you get off, go to the next train and get on. They may even be on opposite sides of the same platform. In Switzerland there is always at least one train per hour, often more, so if you fancy a coffee you can just get on the next train.

Multi-country-passes are rarely cheaper than buying individual tickets, but you can do the arithmetic to double-check.

Buy the tickets (and lookup times) at the website for the company running the trains. That is:
Germany, DB (Deutsche Bahn = German Railways): www.bahn.de
Austria, ÖBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen = Austrian Federal Railways): www.oebb.at
Switzerland, SBB (Schweizerische Bundesbahnen = Swiss Federal Railways): www.sbb.ch
In each case there is an option to select English on the website.
For Germany and Austria there are discounts for buying tickets in advance. But once you buy, the ticket is only valid on the train listed on the ticket. But, if you miss a connection because the first train is late, they will always allow you on the next train.
SBB uses a different system, and there is no discount for advance purchase. But tickets are valid for any train on the day.
You can buy one ticket for each trip, even if you have to change trains. But, for a different trip on a different day you need to buy separately.

It may be advantageous to buy a pass for Switzerland if you are planning to go up a lot of mountain railways (and most people do). But for brevity, ask if you plan to do this.

Depends on the system. I would expect that if the Swiss give you a 6 minute legal connection, you would expect precision.

On the other hand, some systems such as the Norwegian NSB have greater tolerance in what is considered a legal connection. https://www.nsb.no/en/our-tickets/transfer-times

Transfer times

When a journey involves a change of trains, the tranfer time is
defined at a minimum of 30 minutes for NSB Lokaltog (commuter train)
services and 60 minutes for NSB Regiontog (inter-city train) services.

For journeys with a shorter transfer time, you are not entitled to a
refund in the event of delay* or service interruption, even if the
journey was booked by using the Travel Planner at nsb.no. You can in
other words not make a claim for reimbursement of expenses for
alternative transportation etc. as a result of a lost connection.

That said, I haven't missed connection in Norway so I cannot comment as to ability to use the continuing ticket on the next train.

Check your service provider's terms and conditions.

If you choose a rail pass, I'd probably only get it to cover Austria and Switzerland, not Germany. For instance the Select Pass for 5 travel days in those two countries is currently $298 for a single adult, or cheaper if you are under 26 or traveling with a partner. You don't say where you're flying out from, so there's a travel day not counted on your list. The two-country pass gives you 25% discounts on trains and lifts up the valley from Interlaken, so it's a little less coverage than a Swiss Travel Pass would give in that area.

Swiss railways assume you are reasonably able-bodied and that you know where you should be heading, but if they suggest a connection in 6 minutes it means it can be done in 6 minutes. It may not be evident to the occasional traveller, but the Swiss general railway timetable is studied to minimize, at a national level, connection times; and, if possible, use regular times at each station (for example, trains leave exactly every 60 or 30 or 20 or 15 minutes).

I had a similar anxiety about making transfers in Sants station in Barcelona among regional trains but as Chris F says above, the timetable is organized so that all the relevant trains are using the same platform, so transfers are a matter of either getting on the next train at the same track as you just got off of, or stepping to the other side of the same platform for the train arriving (or maybe waiting) there.

I think as an American I'm not accustomed to having the transport system organized for the benefit of the users rather than treating us as an afterthought.

I realize Eindhoven isn't in Switzerland, but in 2012 we had a ticket with a 3 minute connection there. I was worried as well, posted a question, told it would be fine...and it was.

Same thing for me in Scotland a couple of years ago. My connection appeared to be five minutes and I couldn't imagine how that could happen. But it turned out that I got off of the first train, stood on the platform, and the next train coming along was my second train. I didn't even have to change tracks.

The bible for train travellers is www.seat61.com where there is more than enough information on connections and everything else. You can look at combination tickets there. Usually if the trains involved in one trip are operated by the same national company you can buy a through ticket. Pay attention to the seat reservations if required.
However well organized the train transfers, you can be prepared by doing some homework. Most stations, these day, have internet sites with maps of their platforms. Check the train websites to see if platforms for arrival and departure are listed with the tickets. Otherwise, there is always a huge master board with all train connections constantly chattering away on the main platform. If you need to consult it for a tight connection, be standing at the door of your train car with luggage in hand to make a brisk dismount and head for the next train or the information board. Do try to glance at that board (which will be surrounded by other voyageurs) in case of a last-minute change of platform.
Except for young people or visitors who are spending most of their days in transit, passes are not cost-effective. But one answer does not suit all countries; again, Seat 61 is the authority. You might want to check about Switzerland in particular.
You should note that on long inter-city runs, ticket prices are lowest when they go on sale and consistently rise.

Laura, thanks for the info. I will be flying out of Zurich. My day lost in travel will be from Innsbruck to Grindelwald. That trip will be approx. 6.5 hours. I look at it as a time to sit back and relax (when not racing to deboard one train and board the connection) and enjoy the scenery. May even cat nap. I was looking at some websites such as Go Euro and Trainline Europe for schedules. Couldn't find an option to just pay one set price and get emailed all the tickets. No matter who I buy the tickets from online, do they come in separate sections for each country? For instance, Switzerland will have 3 train changes. So would that be one ticket or three? How many days in advance to I need to buy ticket from Grindelwald to Zurich airport? I leave on 15 September.

Glad to see other people were as worried as me on such short connection times. I must not be seeing the fine print under terms and conditions for Austria if I miss a connection not due to a late train-just me being too slow/lost to find, read and get to correct train in 6 minutes. I understand from the response that Switzerland is very precise.

I want to make sure I understand this correctly. In Switzerland, if I do miss a connection, I can just get on the next one without having to pay for another ticket? But, this will not be allowed in Germany or Austria?

We did the short Bern to Interlaken transfer. I'm that crazy person who wants to be the first one off the train car, so we made it fine. Seriously, when you're close to the transfer stop, be ready to go with your suitcase (case in point to travel light) near the door.

Also, there were two train stops at Interlaken. I remember an East & West; check that you have the correct one. It looks like yours would be Interlaken Ost, but check on your ticket. Enjoy the area - gorgeous!

Nira,
Tickets DO NOT come in separate sections for different countries. If you want to get from A to B (Innsbruck to Grindelwald.), that is one purchase, no matter how many countiries you are going through or how many times you have to change. But a different journey on a different day is a separate purchase.
Look up times and buy tickets on the Austrian railways site: http://www.oebb.at/en/ They are selling tickets with prices from €34
Do not use resellers such as Go Euro or Trainline Europe unless you have to.

You do not buy tickets in advance for trains inside Switzerland, there is no price advantage in doing so and tickets are valid on any train. For Grindelwald to "Zürich Flughafen" just buy the ticket on the day, it will be valid on any train that day. It will cost CHF 84, or CHF 42 if you have a half price card (see http://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html ).

I like the way you say "other people were as worried as me on such short connection times", I.e. "were", but no longer once you have done it once. It is not a big issue. If you have a ticket for a specific train and you miss the connection because the first train is late, you can get on the next train (unless of course you fail to get off the train at the correct stop - that is your problem).
And in Switzerland it is doubly not an issue, because tickets are vald on any train.

When looking at your probable itinerary on the the Swiss Rail website, it looks like you arrive on track 5 at Bern and your connecting train to Interlaken is departing from track 6. That means your connecting train will be on the opposite side of the platform, so you just exit the door of your train, walk 10 feet across the platform and board the waiting train. It will literally take 2 minutes.

Your arriving train continues on to Geneva airport and will only stop for a few minutes, so you should have your luggage in hand and be standing by the door when the train enters Bern station. You can exit as soon as the train stops. If you happen to be the one person standing next to the door, your job will be to push the green "Open Door" button. Of course there are likely to be others also exiting, so if you are slow doing this, someone behind you will help. They have to get off the train too.

Your change at Interlaken Ost is also about 7 minutes, and this time you will have to use the platform connecting tunnel. But it is highly likely that almost everyone on the train will be doing the same, so follow the crowd. The train to Grindelwald actually splits half way, with the other half going to Lauterbrunnen, so just see that you get on a car marked "Grindelwald". There will be uniformed personnel there to help direct you. They have been doing this for a while and are accustomed to first-timers. It is a tourist destination.

"You do not buy tickets in advance for trains inside Switzerland, there is no price advantage in doing so..."

I have pre-purchased domestic "supersaver" SBB fares within Switzerland on two separate occasions for substantial savings:

http://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and-tickets/tickets-for-switzerland/supersaver-tickets.html

The train schedules from ... Salzburg to Innsbruck ... [has] very close connections. These were also the most
direct routes I could find.

Really. The most direct connections I can find from Salzburg to Innsbruck are RailJets (RJ) with no changes.

What route are you taking?

The 2:28 - 2:34 change in Bern is from track 5 to track 6. According to the Bern station map, that is a cross platform change. That should be easy to make; just be at the end of the car, with your luggage, ready to get off, when the train stops. Those are important trains. If the train from Zürich is late, they will probably hold the connecting train.