World engineering marvel that conquers the scenic Alps - Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes 1276
What and Why
The Bernina Express is a sightseeing railway line operated by the Rhaetian Railway (German: Rhätische Bahn) that runs between Chur of Switzerland (Schweiz) to Tirano of Italy (Italian: Italia) with a main stop at Saint Moritz (Sankt Moritz). The train line is actually two separated lines combined together: the Bernina Line (Berninalinie) that runs from Tirano between Saint Moritz, and the Albula Line (Albulalinie) that runs from Saint Moritz between Chur. The railway line runs through some of the most scenic Swiss-Alpine and tackles the treacherous mountainous areas, and it uses a standard railway only with no special gear system. Hence to facilitate sightseeing, the train has transparent panoramic roofs with audioguide throughout the journey describing the local sceneries. There are a few stops along the way that allows passengers to stop for a few minutes to take photographs, especially the glaciers. The respective journey of Bernina Line and Albula Line is just above two hours but this railway system has lasting socio-economic impacts to the region.
As a matter of fact the train is hardly an express line: In fact it conquers slopes as much as 7% so sometimes you will see cyclists cruising much faster than the train! The average speed across the entire line is only around 30 km/h. To be honest one hardly wants it to be an express line, one wants to take as much time as possible to appreciate this engineering marvel and enjoy the beautiful landscape!
Toponymy
Saint Moritz is named Saint Maurice (Coptic: Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲙⲱⲣⲓⲥ, Abba Mōris) after the Egyptian military leader and later venerated saint during the 3rd century CE. Saint Moritz was named during the mid-12th century as Sanctum Mauricium in Latin.
Probably related to the blogged Bern, the etymology of 'Bernina' is untraceable. It is likely that it comes from the German name 'Bernard', meaning 'strong brave bear'.
The Rhaetian Railway is named after the Alpine tribal confederation Raetia during the Roman Empire (Latin: Imperium Romanum) times , with uncertain etymology. The territory of Raetia occupied the current Eastern Switzerland and western Austria (Österreich).
See
Albula Line (Albulalinie)
Declaration first: I did not take the Albula Line this time as I started in Saint Moritz.
The Albula Line was opened in 1904 CE after more than ten years of construction. The railway climbs from approximately 500 m in Chur to approximately 1,750 m in Saint Moritz with a maximum incline of 3.5%. The most important sight along the line is the Landwasser Viaduct (Landwasserviadukt), which soars 65 m above the valley floor, as shown above.
Bernina Line (Berninalinie)
According to our friends whom we met during the journey, the Bernina Line is way more scenic than the Albula Line, as they have travelled the entire train line.
This line is completed in 1910 CE and is third highest railway in Europe, rising up to 2,250 m just before Alp Grüm and drops to approximately 500 m altitude at Tirano. The highest incline of the journey is 7%.
The most scenic part of the journey is definitely the station Alp Grüm. Thanks to the 180° curve, the station has far-reaching views of the Palü Glacier (Palügletscher) and its associated lake Lago Palü.
Inside the train. One is allowed and encouraged to disembark the train for approximately ten minutes to take photographs. In the winter, the train passes through snow-covered landscapes and offers views of frozen lakes and snow-capped peaks. In contrast, the summer months, when we travelled, showcase lush green valleys, vibrant wildflowers, and crystal-clear mountain lakes.
Absolutely stunning landscape from the train.
There is a photoframe to take a photograph of Alp Grüm.
The other very important feature, or literally the icon of the Bernina Line is definitely the Brusio spiral viaduct (Italian: Viadotto elicoidale di Brusio), as in the title picture. This viaduct is close to the Switzerland-Italy border and is near the Tirano terminus.
This viaduct is built to overcome the very rapid change in altitude while maintaining the maximum climb gradient of 7%. This spiral is designed so that while conquering the height change, the train would not slip or lose grip during its ascent or descent. This is considered as one of the engineering marvels of the railway. This is definitely not the only spiral railways in the world but Brusio is definitely the most famous.
The video below shows the crossing of the Brusio viaduct.
Saint Moritz (Sankt Moritz)
Saint Moritz is known as the birthplace of winter tourism, as the place is celebrated for its legendary 'champagne atmosphere'. The town offers superb skiing, alpine mountaineering, hot springs, and various snow activities. As a matter of fact, the town has staged twice the Winter Olympics (French: Jeux olympiques d'hiver) in 1928 and 1948 CE respectively.
Other than the resorts and winter sports, the town itself is relatively uninteresting. There are many cable cars that take one to the mountains for any of these activities.
Leaning Tower of Saint Moritz (Schiefer Turm Sankt Moritz)
Now the symbol of Saint Moritz, the Saint Moritz Leaning Tower (Spieler Turm Sankt Moritz) is a remarkable 16th-century CE structure that has survived the rest of its church. The building is 33 m tall and stands at a pronounced incline, making it an iconic attraction.
Tirano
Tirano is the terminus of the Bernina Line and is small town around 1 km away from the Swiss border. The town is honestly quite uninteresting. The main landmark is the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Tirano (Italian: Santuario della Madonna di Tirano) which rings the hourly bell with its belfry.
The belfry bell ring.
Buy and Do
What else but to take the Bernina Express?
On another note, Saint Moritz is one of the best-known vacation spots in Europe. The WHS is probably a side-kick rather than the main dish!
Stay
We were staying in a very basic Hotel Piz inside the city. Very basic and no-frills, a bit old but the restaurant is very good. The little problem is that the carpark is not inside the hotel.
Travel Suggestions and Logistics
We drove as we continued our road trip. Saint Moritz is well connected with local buses so travelling around the area is not a major problem. Similar to our blog in Jungfraujoch, if you stay in Saint Moritz for more than two days, you will get a free bus ticket to travel around in the town.
The ticket price for Bernina Express is CHF 36Fr one-way for a two-hour journey. Many people, including ourselves simply do a day round-trip at 66Fr.
While Saint Moritz is German-speaking, much of the Bernina Line lies within the Italian zone of Switzerland.
Saint Moritz is a bit isolated and does not connect well with other cities. The best is to combine it with a side-trip to Müstair.
UNESCO Inscription
Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes, brings together two historic railway lines that cross the Swiss Alps through two passes. Opened in 1904, the Albula line in the north western part of the property is 67 km long. It features an impressive set of structures including 42 tunnels and covered galleries and 144 viaducts and bridges. The 61 km Bernina pass line features 13 tunnels and galleries and 52 viaducts and bridges. The property is exemplary of the use of the railway to overcome the isolation of settlements in the Central Alps early in the 20th century, with a major and lasting socio-economic impact on life in the mountains. It constitutes an outstanding technical, architectural and environmental ensemble and embodies architectural and civil engineering achievements, in harmony with the landscapes through which they pass.
References
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Please share your thoughts and comments about the blog. If you need suggestions to build a travel itinerary, please let me know. More than willing to help. I would also like to build a bespoke-travel community around UNESCO WHS and ICH.
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