The Travelling Celts

The Bernina Express

by Michael Cameron

The Bernina railway is a single-track 3 ft 3 3⁄8 inch gauge railway line forming part of the Rhaetian Railway. It links the spa resort of St. Moritz, in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland, with the town of Tirano, in the Province of Sondrio, Italy, via the Bernina Pass. Reaching a height of 7,392 feet above sea level, it is the highest railway crossing in Europe and the third highest railway in Switzerland. It also ranks as the highest adhesion railway of the continent, and – with inclines of up to 7% – as one of the steepest adhesion railways in the world. The height difference on the section between the Bernina Pass and Tirano is 5,984 feet, allowing passengers to see glaciers and palm trees on the same line.

On 7 July 2008, the Bernina Railway and the Albula Railway, which also forms part of the RhB, were recorded in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, under the name Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes. The whole site is regarded as a cross-border joint Swiss-Italian eritage area.

We all like different things, and what I enjoy others may not, so I'm reluctant to suggest any place to anyone, I liked it, is as far as I normally would go. This train journey is different, get to Tirano, board that train, JUST DO IT. The journey took a couple of hours, seemed like 10 minutes. Fellow passengers were moving from one part of the carriage to the other, taking in the views. I want to go back!

Click the links below for the Bernina Express photos and/or videos