The unbeatable Bernina

I am often asked what is my favourite railway, and I generally try to obfuscate, given that there is so much choice. However, if push comes to shove, I mention the Bernina Railway, the metre-gauge line which links Chur in the foothills of the Alps with Tirano in Italy, which I had taken many times in my youth during the winter months.

Therefore, while spending a week on Lake Como last month, I was alerted to the proximity of the railway by numerous road signs pointing to St Moritz, which is the midpoint of the railway. I checked out the possibility of going up there by train from Varenna, which is on the lake, and found it was a popular tourist attraction – though at over 100 Euros return, not a cheap one. I managed to convince my slightly reluctant wife that this was an opportunity not to be missed and we duly rose at 6am to take a ferry to Varenna and a local train to Tirano. Changing on to the Rhenish Railway at the adjoining station, we soon found ourselves being dragged slowly around the remarkable Brusio viaduct, with wheels screeching as the train edged up the tight bend and steep gradient. Then, after a series of corkscrew tunnels through the mountain, with views that are unparalleled – not just mountains but lakes so calm that their reflection is clearer and more colourful than the real scenery – the railway reaches the dizzy heights of 2,200 metres, overlooked by others twice as high. There’s no doubt that if anyone asks me again, I will give a more confident answer about my favourite railway, though I will be interested to hear what are readers’ particular favourites – and why.