Swittzerland: Bernina Express: Panaromic Train from Chur, Switzerland to Tirano, Italy.

Bernina Express
From glaciers to palms
The UNESCO World Heritage Site and pristine Alpine landscapes within reach: a trip on the Bernina Express is a travel experience in a class of its own.

On the highest railway tracks in Europe and the steepest in the world, the Bernina Express takes its passengers on a unique journey through 55 tunnels and over 196 bridges. From Switzerland’s oldest town through wildly romantic gorges, past spectacular man-made structures, up to the eternal ice of the glaciers and back down to the palm trees in the Italian town of Tirano: no other Alpine crossing is so spectacular. The modern panoramic cars offer first-class travel comfort and make the impressive landscape appear almost within reach.

Operated by Rhaetian Railway since its launch in 1920, the Bernina Express, snakes through the Bernina Alps of Switzerland and down into northern Italy . A narrow-gauge train, it is built to blend in with the surrounding landscape. Seeing the Swiss countryside up close is a truly an unforgettable experience. Get a glimpse of glaciers and Alpine mountain peaks as you travel through 55 tunnels and over 196 bridges. A marvel of engineering, the portion of the route running from Thusis to Tirano was even designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008. The Bernina Express is a scenic train, which means that carriages are specially designed with extra-large panoramic windows to ensure that travellers can enjoy the view.

Journey details
Service starts in St Moritz (or Chur), Switzerland and goes all the way to Tirano, Italy. Trains operate daily year-round. (In the summer, a daily through-service is available from Davos and a bus connects Tirano, Italy to Lugano, Switzerland.) So, there are plenty of options to choose from.

Highlights include breath-taking vistas at the peak altitude of 2,253 meters at Ospizio Bernina station, sharp drops on the way to Poschiavo, and great photo opportunities at the Brusio spiral viaduct. As the train heads south, landscapes transform, and temperatures become milder. Discover the diverse landscapes of the northern and southern Alps in just a matter of hours!

History:
On July 5, 1910, amidst considerable difficulties, the railway line on which the famous Bernina Express travels was completed.

Imagine what a titanic feat it was to realize this line. Not only because of the significant heights (the Bernina Pass is located at 2,328 meters), but also because of the difficulties related to weather conditions (snow and frost) and accidents at work. In addition, there are points where the railway line reaches a gradient of 70 per thousand, without a rack and pinion.

Still, connecting Switzerland to Italy was as vital as ever, as goods struggled to cross the Alps. As early as the 19th century, it was realized that a solution had to be found. And that solution was precisely the construction of the Bernina Express.

Nevertheless, the completion work took only four years, from 1906 to 1910. A team of more than 2,000 people had to work on the construction of the railway line, most of them from northern Italy.

Finally, the 61 kilometers of track from St. Moritz in Switzerland to Tirano in Italy was officially opened in July 1910.

It was such a success that even a Japanese engineer, fascinated by the magnificence of the work, decided to revive it in his homeland. This was the Hakone-Tozan Railway, north of Tokyo, twinned with the Bernina Express since 1973.

In 2008, the Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes becomes UNESCO Heritage

More information on the route, booking and other details.
https://www.raileurope.com/en/trains/bernina-express

https://www.visititaly.eu/unesco/bernina-express-red-train-unesco-since-2008