46°24′32″N10°1′11″E / 46.40889°N 10.01972°E /46.40889; 10.01972
| Rhaetian Railway | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
 Stadler Allegra approaching theBernina Pass. | |||
| Overview | |||
| Native name | Rhätische Bahn, Ferrovia retica, Viafier retica | ||
| Status | operating | ||
| Owner | Rhätische BahnAG | ||
| Locale | Canton of Grisons, Switzerland, Lombardy, Italy | ||
| Stations | 102 | ||
| Website | www | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Commuter and heavy rail | ||
| Services | 10 | ||
| Ridership | 12 Million per year | ||
| History | |||
| Opened | 1888 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 385 km (239 mi) | ||
| Character | Mountain railway | ||
| Track gauge | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) | ||
| Electrification | 11kV16+2⁄3Hz (322 km) 1000 VDC (62 km, Bernina line) | ||
| Operating speed | 100 km/h (62 mph) | ||
| Highest elevation | 2,254 m (7,395 ft) | ||
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TheRhaetian Railway (German:Rhätische Bahn;Italian:Ferrovia retica;Romansh:Viafier retica), abbreviatedRhB, is a Swiss transport company that owns the largest network of all private railway operators inSwitzerland. Headquartered inChur,[1] the RhB operates all the railway lines of theSwiss canton ofGrisons, except for the line fromSargans to the cantonal capital, Chur, which are operated bySwiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS), as well as the line fromDisentis/Mustér to theOberalp Pass and further on toAndermatt,Uri, which is operated byMatterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGB). Inaugurated in 1888 and expanded from 1896 onwards in various sections, the RhB network is located almost entirely within Grisons, with one station across theItalian border atTirano.
The Rhaetian Railway serves a number of major tourist destinations, such asSt. Moritz andDavos. One of the RhB lines, theBernina Railway, crosses theBernina Pass at 2,254 metres (7,395 ft) above sea level and runs down to Tirano,Lombardy in Italy.
In 2008, the RhB section from theAlbula/Bernina area (the part fromThusis toTirano, includingSt. Moritz) was added to the list ofUNESCOWorld Heritage Sites. The Albula-Bernina line is the first rail line in the world to be photographed and put onGoogle Street View.[2] The line also operates several historic trains on the network.[3]
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| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rack system | None | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)metre gauge | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrification | 11kV16+2⁄3Hz (322 km) 1000 VDC (62 km, Bernina line) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maximum incline | Bernina line: 7% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The establishment of the Rhaetian Railway traces back toWillem Jan Holsboer, aDutchman who owned a hotel in Davos.[4] He proposed a railway line fromLandquart toDavos in 1888.[5] Holsboer founded the Landquart-Davos AG to begin construction of a standard-gauge line, but the mountainous terrain lacked sufficient space. On 29 June 1888, a ground-breaking ceremony took place for a narrow-gauge railway instead. By 1890, the railway line served Davos.[5]
In 1895, Holsboer changed his company's name to the Rhaetian Railway (Rhätische Bahn) to reflect his plans for network expansion. By 1896 the lines Chur–Landquart and Chur–Thusis were operated.[5] In 1897, a referendum was held for the Rhaetian Railway to bid on operations of the Graubünden/Grisons State Railways.
This was followed by the Albula line in 1903 and the series of expansion projects carried on until 1922. In 1903 the Albula line reachedCelerina, and in 1904 also St.Moritz was able to be served.[5] During the years 1907 to 1910, the Rhaetian Railway, in collaboration with the federal and cantonal governments, undertook a large-scale expansion of its network.
All RhB lines are1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)metre gauge wide and electrified:
The network contains 84 tunnels (the longest being the 19.042-kilometre (11.832 mi)Vereina Tunnel, opened on 19 November 1999, and the 5.864-kilometre (3.644 mi)Albula Tunnel) and 383 bridges. Themaximum gradient is 7% on theBernina railway,[6] 6% on the Chur–Arosa line and 4.5% on Landquart–Davos line.
In 2022, to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Switzerland's first railway, the Rhaetische Bahn, supported by Swiss train-builder Stadler, came together to run the world's longest-ever passenger train, composed of 100 cars stretching almost two kilometres long.[7]
The Rhaetian Railway operates a 385-kilometre-long railway network with 10 railway lines and 102 stations.[8]
In 2002 the annual traffic carried by the RhB was 300 millionpassenger-kilometres and 54 milliontonne-kilometres of freight. 80% of the passenger income comes from tourist traffic, although 40% of passengers are local commuters.
Landquart railway station inGraubünden is the starting point of the Rhaetian Railway, historically as part of the Landquart-Davos line, operationally as the company's main workshop, and topologically as the 0 kilometre point of the company's core network. The Landquart-Davos line is the oldest in the Rhaetian Railway network.
After leaving Landquart, the line to Davos generally follows the riverLandquart upstream as far asKlosters Platz. Along the way, it crosses the river three times and passes by the award-winningSunniberg Bridge, the centerpiece of the Klosters bypass road.
Just south of Klosters Platz, the tracks cross the river the last time and come to two tunnels. One of these is for the Vereina line (see below). The other, the Klostersloop tunnel, takes the Davos line through a 90-degree loop towards the west. The line to Davos begins to climb at 4.5% gradient and then loops 180 degrees back towards the east, inside the Cavadürli loop tunnel. It continues to climb through denselarch and otherconiferousforests to theDavos Laret.
The highest point on the line is the next stop,Davos Wolfgang at 1,625 m (5,331 ft). Then the line leads back down and alongLake Davos toDavos Dorf, and the terminus atDavos Platz.
The connecting line from Davos Platz to theAlbula Railway atFilisur passes through wild gorges, and is technically very interesting, not only due to its famousWiesen Viaduct.[editorializing]
The Davos–Filisur line is 19 km (12 mi) long, runs through 14 tunnels extending a total of 4,200 m (13,780 ft) in length, and crosses 28 bridges. It waselectrified in 1919.
Starting in the Rhine valley, the Landquart-Thusis line runs more or less parallel with theSwiss Federal Railways'Sargans-Landquart-Churstandard gauge line as far asChur (elevation 585 m or 1,919 ft). The line to Thusis then simply follows the course of theRhine toBonaduz (655 m or 2,149 ft). From there, it enters the Domleschg Valley and follows thePosterior Rhine fromRhäzüns (658 m or 2,159 ft) toThusis (697 m or 2,287 ft).
This line begins inThusis (elevation 697 m [2,287 ft]). It continues towardTiefencastel (851 m [2,792 ft]) following theAlbula and then crosses theLandwasser Viaduct before arriving atFilisur (1,032 m [3,386 ft]). Shortly after Filisur the line passes its firstspiral tunnel then continues toBergün/Bravuogn (1,373 m [4,505 ft]).
Between Bergün/Bravuogn andPreda (1,789 m [5,869 ft]), at the end of the valley, the line has to achieve a difference in height of about 400 m (1,300 ft) within a horizontal distance of 5 km (3.1 mi), without usingrack-and-pinion, but with many spirals. Then the line enters theAlbula Tunnel at 1,815 metres under theAlbula Pass. It emerges in the Val Bever, where it reachesBever (1,708 m [5,604 ft]) on theEngadin plain. The line continues towardSamedan (1,721 m [5,646 ft]) and arrives atSt. Moritz (1,775 m [5,823 ft]).
In 2009 it was announced that an examination of theAlbula Tunnel conducted in 2006 had found major degradation of the tunnel, with over 60% of the lining in need of replacement. Furthermore, the bores aresmall by modern standards, and cabling, signalling and drainage all need replacement. As a result, it was announced that an inquiry would decide between two options for action: a comprehensive renewal of the existing tunnel, or the construction of a new bore to modern standards.[9] As a result of this inquiry, RhB decided to build a new tunnel. Construction began in 2015, with the new tunnel opening in 2022 and the project completed including refurbishment of the old tunnel in 2023.
The Reichenau toDisentis/Mustér line links the rest of the Rhaetian Railway network with theMatterhorn Gotthard Bahn. It branches from the line to Thusis behind the shared Rhine bridge.
The line, which was opened progressively between 1903 and 1912, has been electrified since 1922.
In contrast with the accompanying road, which rises about 500 m (1,600 ft) towardsFlims andLaax, the railway to Disentis/Mustér runs slowly up the narrow "Ruinaultagorge". On this part of the line, its associated engineering structures dominate the otherwise pristine natural landscape.
AtIlanz, the railway line and road merge paths once again. Their combined pathways then rise slowly and evenly to Disentis/Mustér.
The main traffic on the Reichenau–Disentis/Mustér line isRegioExpress passenger trains operating at hourly intervals. Several times a day, there areGlacier Express trains in each direction.
Timetabledgoods trains also operate on the line to serve industry in the Vorderrhein area and supplied cement for the construction of the normal gaugeGotthard Base Tunnel with train IDs starting with 5. Usually three pairs of trains serve Disentis/Mustér with a Ge 6/6 II and a few additional trains go only to Ilanz with a Ge 4/4 II.
This line, which runs up theEngadin valley, was constructed in two stages. TheSamedan–Pontresina section was opened on by the Rhaetian Railway on 1 July 1908, simultaneously with the Pontresina–Morteratsch section, which formed part of the then-independent Bernina Railway. The actualEngadine line, betweenBever andScuol-Tarasp, was opened on 1 July 1913, and was the first Rhaetian Railway line to be electrified from the start at 11 kV16+2⁄3 HzAC.
Since the opening of the Engadin line, Pontresina has been a dual system station, as the Bernina Railway operates on 1,000 VDC. Track 3 at Pontresina station has a switchable catenary, and is used for trains, such as theHeidi Express, operating through the station and needing to change from one of the two electification systems to the other.
Between Samedan and Bever, the Engadin line shares its track with the Albula Railway. With the opening of theVereina Tunnel and line in November 1999, the Engadin line, at both Lavin (Sagliainscar shuttle train station) andSusch (Sasslatsch II car shuttle train station), acquired a direct connection to thePrättigau atKlosters, on the Landquart–Davos line.
This line begins atSt.Moritz and runs towardsPontresina (elevation 1,774 m [5,820 ft]) in Val Bernina. It ascends progressively through the valley to theBernina Pass over theMorteratsch station (1,896 m [6,220 ft]) (with theMorteratsch Glacier andPiz Bernina, the highest summit of theEastern Alps, in sight). After Morteratsch, the line runs towardsBernina Diavolezza (2,093 m [6,867 ft]), where an aerial tramway leads toDiavolezza, andOspizio Bernina station. This station, next toLago Bianco, stands at the line's summit at 2,253 m (7,392 ft) above sea and holds the title of the highest point of the entire Rhetian Railway network and among all adhesion railways in Europe.
Alp Grüm (2,091 m [6,860 ft]) is the first station to the immediate south of the summit. It is situated aboveLago Palü and right belowPiz Palü andPalü Glacier. After negotiating manyhairpin turns, the line reachesCavaglia (1,693 m [5,554 ft]) aboveVal Poschiavo; after that, the line descends across the valley towards the SwissItalian-speaking town ofPoschiavo (1,014 m [3,327 ft]).
After Poschiavo, the line runs next toLago Poschiavo and calls atLe Prese (964 m [3,163 ft]) andMiralago (965 m [3,166 ft]). The descent continues towardsBrusio (780 m [2,560 ft]), after which the line runs across the famous spiral bridge,Brusio Viaduct. After the spiral bridge, the line passes through the Swiss border town ofCampocologno (553 m [1,814 ft]) before entering Italy atTirano RhB station (430 m [1,410 ft]).
The 25.68-kilometre (15.96 mi) railway line fromChur toArosa is known as theArosabahn (orArosa-Bahn), and is often abbreviated as "ChA" (Chur-Arosa). Work began in 1912 on the route and the line opened on 12 December 1914. The railway leads up from Chur to Arosa (a total climb of 1,155 m or 3,789 ft) via a number of tunnels, bridges and other structures, including theLangwieser Viaduct - a structure of national importance. In 1942 the line became part of the RhB company and network; however the line ran on a separate electric system to the remainder of the network until 1997. Before then it was 2400 VDC - now it is 11 kV 16.7 HzAC. Thegauge has always been1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) as per the rest of the RhB network.
It is asingle track railway, with the exception of a short double track section along Engadinstrasse in Chur, with a number ofpassing loops along the route: at all stations with the exception of Chur Stadt (and formerly Sassal), as well as at Chur Sand depot and at Haspelgrube near Arosa. Themaximum incline is 6% but there is norack-and-pinion used.
A short section of the line runsalong the streets of Chur and is known as the Churstadtbahn ('town railway'). In Chur, the line starts on Bahnhofplatz, in front of the main railway station, where that station's platforms for the Arosabahn are, though there is a second stop in Chur only 760 m (2,490 ft) from the main station.
A 5 km (3.1 mi) tunnel through the Mittenberg had been planned as an alternative route for the lower section of the line, avoiding running through the centre of Chur. This plan was finally dropped in 1996 as the considerable expense could not be justified.
The line is well used by tourists coming to and from the resort at Arosa. The line also carries a substantial amount of freight.
This line is not connected to the others. It opened in 1907 and was owned by the Rhaetian Railway between 1942 and 2003. Passenger services ceased in 1972, but a limited freight traffic continued until 2003. The private association (SEFT, Società Esercizio Ferroviario Turistico) operated it as aheritage railway for tourists over 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) of the original 31 kilometres (19 mi) of line until part of the concession was withdrawn in 2013 to allow road construction. The road construction had been started in July 2014.[10]
The RhB operates regularInterRegio (IR),RegioExpress (RE), andRegio (R) services, as well as theChur S-Bahn. In addition, twoPanorama Express (PE) services are operated on the Rhaetian Railway network, namely the
of which the former is operated by the RhB, and the latter is jointly owned and operated by the RhB and theMatterhorn Gotthard Bahn.[11]
The regular daytime passenger services (as of December 2024) are as follows:[12]
| Timetable No. | Service | Route | Frequency | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 910/915 | RE13 | RE1 | Landquart –Schiers –Klosters Platz – | Davos Platz –Filisur | Hourly | Services divide/couple at Klosters Platz |
| RE3 | Zernez –Samedan –St. Moritz | |||||
| RE24 | RE2 | Landquart –Schiers –Klosters Platz – | Davos Platz | Hourly | Services divide/couple at Klosters Platz | |
| RE4 | Sagliains –Scuol-Tarasp | |||||
| 920 | RE7 | Chur –Ilanz –Disentis/Mustér | Hourly | |||
| 930 | RE6 /R16 | Chur –Arosa | Hourly | |||
| 940 | IR38 | Chur –Reichenau-Tamins –Thusis –Filisur –Samedan –St. Moritz | Hourly | |||
| RE8 | Chur –Rhäzüns –Thusis | Hourly | ||||
| 941 | S1 | Schiers –Landquart –Chur –Reichenau-Tamins –Rhäzüns –Thusis | Hourly | Chur S-Bahn | ||
| S2 | Schiers –Landquart –Chur –Reichenau-Tamins –Rhäzüns | Hourly | ||||
| 950 | RE9 /R19 | St. Moritz –Pontresina –Poschiavo –Tirano | Hourly | |||
| 960 | R15 | Pontresina –Samedan –Zernez –Sagliains –Scuol-Tarasp | Hourly | |||
For commuter servicesRhaetian Railway ABe 4/16 electric multiple units are used.
Apart from the normal passenger coaches and the panoramic coaches used for the brandedBernina Express tourist services, the railway attaches to the back of trains, according to need:
The RhB is 51.3% owned by the Cantonal government of Graubünden, 43.1% by the Swiss Confederation, 4.6% by private shareholders and 1% by a collection of local communities.
The RhB has itsheadquarters at Bahnhofstrasse 25,Chur.46°51′06″N9°31′57″E / 46.8517°N 9.5325°E /46.8517; 9.5325 (RhB HQ)
In 1997, the Rhaetian Railway was used as the prototype for theNord Express in the20th Century Fox animated motion pictureAnastasia. Not only was the Rhaetian Railway featured in the film, but several landmarks were also included: theLandwasser Viaduct and a 1912Mittelthurgau-Bahn Ec 3/5 Class2-6-2 tank locomotive No. 3 with an added tender. This 1912 locomotive was portrayed as a Russian continental steam locomotive (fictional). It was modified with thesmoke deflectors and the smoke-box door from aDanish State Railways Class R 963. The locomotive's fictitious number being used in the movie was 2747, as this was a reference to the address of theFox Animation Studios on East Camelback Road inPhoenix, Arizona. The Landwasser Viaduct was portrayed as a tall, 4-storey viaduct inPoland as a type ofRoman aqueducts.[non-primary source needed]
Rhätische Bahn AG, Bahnhofstrasse 25, CH-7001 Chur
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