Glacier Express

Early years

The completion of the FO in 1926 opened the way between the cantons of Valais and Graubunden for the further development of tourism. In particular, Kurswagen (direct trains) between Brig and Kur , and between Brig and St. Moritz, were launched. ^[2]

In early June 1930, when the Visp-Zermatt railway was extended to Brig with a meter gauge along the Rhone valley between Visp and Brig, it became possible to travel all the way from Zermatt to St. Moritz and vice versa. On June 25 , 1930 ( 1930-06-25 ), the first train departed from Zermatt to St. Moritz, under the name Glacial Express . ^{[2] The} new train received a name in honor of the Ron Glacier , which is located next to Gletch, on the Fourka Pass . ^[one]

Until 1982, the Glacier Express was operated only in the summer months, because the Fourka Pass and the Oberalp Pass were closed in winter due to snow. Initially, the train was composed of first-third class cars and a restaurant car supplied by all three companies. Between the cities of Chur and Dizentis, passengers could enjoy a hot lunch in the restaurant car Mitropa . Since 1933, the Glacier Express has been attached to conventional passenger trains between Brig and Zermatt. ^[2]

In the earliest years, the Glacier Express used electric locomotives on the BVZ and RhB, but steam locomotives on the FO. In 1941-1942, the above-ground contact network was installed on the FO, which allowed the use of electric traction along the entire length of the route. However, the Glacier Express did not go between 1943 and 1946 due to the Second World War . ^[2]

Following the resumption of daily flights in 1948, service in the dining car was extended from Dizentis to the top of the Oberalp Pass. Between the 1950s and 1970s, both BRZ and RhB introduced new locomotives, which reduced the timetable. Meanwhile, the service in the dining car was extended further to Andermatt . ^[2]

Year-round work

In 1981, the era of Glacier Express reached the end of the era, with the FO line closing through the Furka Pass and the Furka Summit tunnel between Oberwald and Gletch for the winter. In June 1982, this line was replaced by the recently opened Fourka Base Tunnel . As a result, the Glacier Express became separated from the Rhone glacier that gave him the name, but could work on a year-round basis. ^{[1] [2]}

Since that time, BVZ, FO and RhB began to position the Glacial Express as a tourist attraction. Promotional material focused on the status of “slowest express train in the world”, covering 291 km, 91 tunnels and 291 bridges. A special glass on an inclined leg emphasized the steepness of some sections of the route. Passenger traffic increased from 20,000 in 1982 to over 53,000 in 1983, and up to 80,000 in 1984. ^[one]

Recent Events

In 1985, the schedule of the Glacier Express was completely revised. Between 1986 and 1993, BVZ and FO invested nearly 40 million Swiss francs in the construction of 18 new first-class panoramic wagons. ^[2] By 2005, more than 250,000 passengers traveled on the Glacier Express every year. ^[one]

On July 7, 2008, the Albula and Bernina railways were jointly inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List under the name of the Rhetian Railway in the cultural landscape of Albula and Bernina . Currently, the Glacier Express is especially popular with tourists from Germany , Japan and India .

Albula Line

Shortly after leaving St. Moritz ( 1,775 m) in Graubünden , the train passes Samedan and Bever to the Engadine plateau. There he passes Val Bever in front of the entrance to the Albula Tunnel at an altitude of 1,815 m (5,955 m) under the Albula Pass. After the tunnel, the train passes through Preda, the first station in the Albula Valley and continues in the direction of Bergyun . Between these two villages, the train must go through many spirals due to the high elevation (400 m) at a short distance ( 5 km).

After another round, the train reaches Filisur (1,032 m) at the end of the valley, where it meets the connecting train from Davos . From there, the train passes through the Viaduct Landwasser , the most iconic landmark of the railway line and continues towards Tuzis ( 720 m), where it reaches Hinterrain and follows along it to the city of Chur ( 585 m).

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  Station St. Moritz.

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  Glacier Express at St. Moritz Station

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  Albula Tunnel North Portal and Pred Station

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  Drive Preda-Bergun

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  Viaduct Albula IV.

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  Glacial Express in Bergun.

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  Tifenkastel Station

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  Viaduct Solis

Line through Oberalp

From Kura, the train follows back along the Rhine through the Ruinaulta gorge and slowly rises into the valley to Ilanz ( 698 m), Dizentis ( 1,142 m), where it passes from the RhB to the MGB, and Sedrena ( 1,404 m). From Sedren, the line becomes steeper in order to finally reach its highest point, the Oberalp Pass at an altitude of 2,033 m. From there, the train enters the Uri canton in Central Switzerland and goes down to Andermatt ( 1,447 m).

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  Near Reichenau-Tamins.

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  Rhine Gorge

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  Viaduct Russein.

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  Glacier Express in Dizentis.

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  by Lake Oberalp

Line through Fourka

From Andermatt, the train runs in the Urserental valley past the villages of Hospental ( 1,452 m) and Realp (1,538 m). From there, the train enters the Furka Baseline Tunnel, leaving the old railway that goes up to the Furka Pass (now operated by the Furka Parched Cog Railway Company ), and leaves for Oberwald ( 1,368 m) in the Goms Valley, in the canton of Valais . The train then leaves for Brig , following the Rhone , and passes by the villages of Ulrichen (1,346 m), Munster-Geschinen (1,359 m) and Fisch ( 1,049 m), before passing through another spiral.

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  Fourka Baseline Tunnel Portal

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  Fourka Base Tunnel South Portal

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  Old road through Fourka Pass

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  Gletsch Station on the old road, in the background is the Rhone Glacier , after which the express is named

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  Glacial Express in Brig.

Mattertal Line

From Brig ( 678 m), the train passes through Fsp ( 651 m), then enters the Mattertal valley and rises, passing the villages of Stalden ( 799 m), St. Nicklaus ( 1,127 m) and Randa ( 1,408 m). Tash ( 1,450 m) is an important station at the end of the road open for cars, and therefore there is a terminal for motorists. After a sharp stretch, the train finally arrives in Zermatt at 1,616 meters, after almost 8 hours of travel.

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  Station Brig.

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  Glacial Express in Visp.

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  Station Tasha.

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  Zermatt Station

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  At the train station of Zermatt.

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  At the train station of Zermatt.

• Albula Railway
• Matterhorn-Gottard Railway
• Furka Steam Cog Railway
• Bernina Express

• Official site
• Winchester, Clarence, ed. (1936), "The Glacier Express" , Railway Wonders of the World , p. 493–499 , < http://www.railwaywondersoftheworld.com/glacier-express.html >   Illustrated route description