NL-3002422 The Bernina Express

The Bernina Express is a train connecting Chur (or Davos) in Switzerland to Poschiavo and Tirano in Italy by crossing the Swiss Engadin Alps. For most of its journey, the train also runs along the Albuma Railway and Bernina Railway.  These two railways are known collectively as the World Heritage Site ‘The Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes,.

The train is operated by the Rhaetian Railway company for the purpose of sightseeing. It takes the form of an enhanced regional service between Tirano and Chur or Davos: panoramic coaches with enlarged windows and multi-lingual (English, Italian and German) audio guide on board. It is not an express in the sense of being a high-speed train; passengers must make a seat reservation either directly when they purchase Bernina Express tickets, or pay a small supplement on top of their regional train tickets. The Bernina Express is popular with tourists and connects in Tirano with the Post Bus service via Lake Como in Italy to Lugano in Switzerland.

The trip on the Bernina Express is a four-hour railway journey across 196 bridges, through 55 tunnels and across the Bernina Pass at 2,253 metres above sea. The entire line uses gradients of 7%, has a gauge of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) (metre gauge) and it is electrified.

Personal Note: In 2004 during our tour of Switzerland we took the Bernina Express from Chur to Tirano and back again.

This postcard came from Linda (20 May 2015) Postcrossing.