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Switzerland Launches World’s Longest Passenger Train In The Alps

Switzerland celebrates the world's longest passenger train
World’s longest passenger train [Image @rhaetischebahn/Twitter]

It is the Alpine trip of the century after Switzerland created a record for the world’s longest passenger train. The Rhaetian Railway company put together 100 coaches, measuring a total of 1.9 km (1.2 mi), running on the Albula-Bernina route from Preda to Bergün.

World’s longest passenger train in Switzerland

Located high up in the Swiss Alps, St. Moritz is known as a place for pushing the boundaries of winter sports. Now, like the legendary Cresta Run toboggan track, the Albula Line is renowned for its swooping curves and steep descents. Now, as noted by CNN Travel, Switzerland is once again pushing the boundaries in the hope of boosting tourism in the country.

The CEO of Rhaetian Railway hopes the scenic route taken by the train will help boost tourism in Switzerland. To do so, the company ran the 1.9-km (1.2-mi) passenger train, made up of 100 coaches on one of the most spectacular tracks through the Alps.

Meanwhile, the route from Preda to Bergün was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Route in 2008. Along the way, the track heads through 22 tunnels, some of which spiral their way through mountains. Moreover, the track crosses 48 bridges, including the spectacular curved Landwasser Viaduct.

Why did Switzerland do this now?

It turns out the country is celebrating the 175th anniversary of Switzerland’s first railway. What better way to mark the occasion? Speaking of the record-breaking event, Rhaetian Railway’s CEO, Dr. Renato Fasciati said:

We have a jubilee of 175 years of Swiss Railways, and this world record attempt should be one big event of this jubilee.

 

However, Dr. Fasciati also said that the reason for undertaking such a huge achievement is that they “had some troubles during corona crisis.” In fact, during the COVID-19 pandemic, they lost 30 percent of their turnover for guests on the railway. This led to them exploring a good event to increase awareness of the beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Route. Moreover, he added:

And so this world record attempt is a wonderful reason and a wonderful instrument for us to show the world this beautiful railway.

Meanwhile, the entire rail journey took over an hour, with rail enthusiasts lining the valley to watch as the 25 sections of the train wound through the Alps. Speaking of the beautiful scenery in the valley, Dr. Fasciati added:

The scenery is like the Indian summers so you see these golden trees in this beautiful valley, we have this railway line with a lot of viaducts and this spiral of tunnels… It’s a viaduct with a radius of 100 meters, and then the line goes directly into a rock face, into a tunnel and this is really fantastic.

Moreover, he added that visitors from all over the world came to see this beautiful line, traveling on the Glacier or Bernina Express trains.

Following the event, Dr. Fasciati hopes that when international travelers see the beauty of the Alpen countryside through the train’s record-breaking attempt, they will be drawn to this region of Switzerland.

 

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