Swiss set world record for longest passenger train
SWITZERLAND’S metre gauge Rhaetian Railway (RhB) achieved global attention on October 29 by breaking the record for the longest passenger train ever operated.
Formed of 25 Stadler ‘Capricorn’ electric units (100 cars) weighing 2,990 tonnes, the record-breaking 1,906-metre-long train took around an hour to complete its run over the spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Albula Line in eastern Switzerland.
Despite a delay caused by a faulty camera link at the front of the train, the run passed without a hitch. It was witnessed by thousands gathered along the route or cycling alongside.
Following part of the route taken by the world-famous ‘Glacier Express’, the world record attempt took in the spectacular Landwasser Viaduct and the extraordinary spirals that secured the line’s international heritage status. In less than 25km (15½ miles), the train plummeted nearly 800 metres in altitude from 1,788 metres above sea level at Preda to 999.3m at Alvaneu.
Seven drivers and 21 technicians used a temporary field telephone system set up by the Swiss Civil Protection organisation to maintain communications, as the train ran at up to 35kph (21.8mph) through a series of tunnels and deep valleys. Specially modified software allowed the trains to run together without overloading the 11kV AC overhead line equipment.
The event was staged to showcase the RhB to a worldwide audience and attract visitors back to the region after the COVID-19 pandemic. Technical support and sponsorship was provided by Stadler, Siemens and ABB.
Cameras in drones, helicopters, driving cabs and along the track filmed the train, providing a unique record of this once-in-alifetime event. This alone presented a major challenge in a remote, mountainous region with limited mobile telecoms coverage.
RhB Director Renato Fasciati said: “Switzerland is a railway country like no other. This year, we are celebrating 175 years of Swiss railways. With this world record attempt, RhB and its partners wanted to play their part in achieving a pioneering feat that had never been seen before.”
RhB organised a railway festival at Bergün, and 3,000 lucky ticket holders were able to witness the record attempt via a live TV feed while also enjoying local entertainment and gastronomy.
Normal services through the Albula Tunnel to St Moritz and beyond were suspended for 12 hours. Trains were diverted or temporarily replaced by buses, and every available piece of rolling stock - including vintage locomotives and coaches and open panorama wagons - was pressed into service to carry the crowds of visitors and cover for the 25 missing ‘Capricorns’.
Like the ‘Cresta Run’ in nearby St Moritz, the Albula Line is famous for its endless sweeping curves and steep descents. A world-renowned masterpiece of civil engineering, the 62km (381/2-mile) line between Thusis and St Moritz took just five years to build, despite requiring 55 bridges and 39 tunnels. Prior to its completion in July 1904, visitors faced a risky 14-hour journey over rough tracks in horse-drawn carriages or sledges.
Centrepiece of the line is the 5,866metre-long Albula Tunnel, which runs deep under the watershed between the Rhine and Danube rivers.