Glacier Express train

The Glacier Express train is a non-stop train in Suisse which goes from St-Moritz to Zermatt via Coire, Disentis, Andermatt and Brigue. In summer, a train starts from St-Moritz and another of Davos. The two branches meet between Coire and Disentis.

The June 25th 1930 with 7:30 left the first Glacier Express train , with 70 passengers on his board. It arrived at St-Moritz 11 hours later.

This train, which circulates on a metric gauge track with horse on the networks of the rhetic Railroads and of the Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn, is often described like the slowest express train of the world . During 7 hours and half of course, it passes on 291 bridges, through 91 tunnels and passes the collar of the Oberalp, culminating point of the current line, with: 2033 Mr. It passes the collars of the Furka and the Albula in two tunnels.

The name of the train comes from the Glacier of the Rhone, which was in the past skirted by the way of railroad. Until 1981 the Glacier Express train indeed climbed most of the collar of Furka to a short tunnel located right under the collar, making it possible to the passengers to see the glacier of near. In 1982 was open the basic Tunnel of Furka, which avoids the rise of the collar and also allows the circulation of the train in winter. The old way, initially given up, is in the course of restoration. A historical train circulates already on almost the whole of the course, crossing the collar of Furka again.

The Glacier Express train is before a whole tourist train. Indeed, even if, in winter, it constitutes the only possible outlet at the bottom of the Vallée of the Rhone (collars of the Furka and the Grimsel being closed), run time is too long so that it is interesting to use at the time of a west-east crossing of Switzerland. One finds however on the section between Brig and Coire of other types of trains, in particular of the Omnibus, as of the special shuttles which ensure the Ferroutage light vehicles between Oberwald and Realp (via the basic Tunnel of Furka) like between Andermatt and Sedrun (via the collar of Oberalp). Lastly, in winter, the train is used by the skiers to connect different ski stations located on the line and accessible with same the Abonnement: Andermatt, Hospental, Sedrun and Disentis.

Since 2006, the train has new panoramic coaches in 1st and 2nd class. The lunch is been used for the travellers with their seats. A voice speaks in six languages (German, English, French, Japanese, Chinese, Italian) in connection with the curiosities met on the course.

External bonds

Official site

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