On Saturday, the region continued its long tradition of pushing the boundaries of the possible with an epic world record attempt — not on snow or ice, but on rails. To celebrate the 175th anniversary of Switzerland’s first railway, the country’s rail industry has come together to run the world’s largest passenger train — 100 cars, 2,990 tons and almost two kilometers long. Consisting of 25 new “Capricorn” electric trains, the record-breaking 1,906-metre-long train took almost an hour to cover around 25 kilometers (about 15 miles) on the spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Albula Line from Preda to Alvaneu in the east Switzerland. Like the legendary Cresta Run toboggan run, the Albula line is famous for its endless curves and steep descents. A world-renowned civil engineering masterpiece, the 62km line between Suchis and St Moritz took just five years to build despite requiring 55 bridges and 39 tunnels. Before its completion in July 1904, visitors faced a perilous 14-hour journey over bumpy paths by carriage or sleigh. The centerpiece of the line is the 5,866-metre long Albula Tunnel, which runs deep under the watershed between the Rhine and Danube rivers.
Spirals, high viaducts and tunnels
The train went down a switchback through the mountains. swiss-image.ch/Philipp Schmidli Following part of the route of the world famous Glacier Express since 1930, the world record attempt took place on the spectacular Landwasser Viaduct and the extraordinary spirals that ensured the line’s international heritage. In less than 25 kilometers, the train plummeted from 1,788 meters above sea level at Preda to 999.3 meters at Albaneu, using a succession of spirals, viaducts and tunnels. The record attempt was organized by Rhaetische Bahn (Rhaetian Railway, or RhB), with the support of Swiss train manufacturer Stadler, and is perhaps all the more amazing because it took place on a narrow gauge railway. Unlike most Swiss and European railways, which use the “standard” gauge between rails of 1,435 meters (4 ft 8.5 in), RhB rails are only one meter apart. Combine that with a course of notoriously tight turns, steep gradients, 22 tunnels and 48 bridges over deep valleys and the challenges become obvious. The previous holders of the record for the world’s longest passenger train — Belgium and, before that, the Netherlands — used standard-gauge railways through flat landscapes to their advantage. However, preparations began months before the RhB event, including tests to ensure the unique train could operate safely. “We all know the Albula line very well, every switchback, every incline,” lead driver Andreas Kramer, 46, said ahead of the big day. “It goes without saying that we go through the process again and again.” He added: “We have to be 100% in sync, every second. Everyone has to keep their speed and other systems in check at all times.” An initial test run ended in failure before the train had even moved when it was discovered that the emergency braking system could not be activated and the seven drivers could not communicate with each other by radio or mobile phone in the many tunnels. Kramer, assisted by six other drivers and 21 technicians, used a temporary field telephone system set up by the Swiss Civil Protection organization to maintain communications as the train raced at speeds of up to 35 km/h through countless tunnels and deep valleys. Specially modified software and an intercommunication between the seven drivers allowed the 25 trains to operate in harmony. Any mismatch in acceleration or deceleration during the trip would have exerted unacceptably high forces on the tracks and power supplies, creating a major safety issue. 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 he had never seen before”.
Party atmosphere
The train consisted of 100 carriages. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images On the long descent, speed was controlled by regenerative braking, similar to that used in some electric cars, which fed back current to the 11,000 volt overhead power lines. However, with so many trains on the same section of line, there was concern that they could feed too much current back into the system, overloading both the trains and local power grids. To avoid this, the top speed of the train was limited to 35 km/h and the software had to be modified to limit the power supply. Additional safety control cables also had to be installed throughout the train to support standard mechanical and pneumatic connections between trains. On the big day, RhB organized a railway festival in Bergün and 3,000 lucky ticket holders were able to watch the record attempt via live TV stream, while also enjoying local entertainment and gastronomy. Regular services through the Albula Tunnel to St Moritz and beyond were suspended for 12 hours. Three satellite uplinks, 19 cameras on drones and helicopters, on the train and along the track filmed the train, providing a unique record of this once-in-a-lifetime event. That alone was quite a challenge in a remote, mountainous area with limited cell phone coverage.
Railroad Nation
The record attempt was organized to celebrate 175 years of Swiss railways. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images For a small country with a mountainous landscape that, at first glance, seems unsuitable for railways, Switzerland punches above its weight in the industry. Necessity has long made it a pioneer in electrical, mechanical and civil engineering, and its technology and know-how are exported around the world. Engineering feats like the Gotthard Base Tunnel, which opened in 2016, continue a long tradition of pushing the limits of what is possible. With good reason, the Swiss are the most enthusiastic rail users in the world, traveling an average of 2,450 kilometers each year by train — a quarter of their total annual total. As in other European countries, mobility has soared in recent decades — the average annual distance traveled by car and public transport has doubled in the past 50 years. They traveled 19.7 billion passenger kilometers by rail in 2019, the last “normal” year before the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021 this fell to 12.5 billion passenger kilometres, but as Switzerland celebrates 175 years since the first railway between Zurich and Baden opened, passenger traffic is on track to return to pre-pandemic levels. So high are the expectations of public transport users in Switzerland that even a slight delay is a source of silent dissatisfaction. And not without good reason. many trips in and around Switzerland’s major cities are multimodal, dependent on seamless connections between trains, trams, buses and even boats at well-organized hubs. In 2021, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) operated 11,260 trains carrying 880,000 passengers and 185,000 tonnes of freight per day on a 3,265 km network with 804 stations. The addition of the more than 70 “private” standard and narrow gauge railways, many of which are also partly or fully publicly owned, brings this network to around 5,300 km, the densest railway network in the world. A tightly coordinated network integrates SBB trains with many other operators, extensive narrow-gauge railways such as the Rhaetische Bahn (RhB), mountain cog railways, cable cars, mail buses, cable cars, boats and more, providing reliable car-free access to every corner of the country (see www.swiss-pass.ch). Decades of long-term investment have created a core network of heavily used trunk lines connecting all the country’s major cities. It is fed by high-frequency S-Bahn (city rail) systems around major cities, as well as regional and local rail lines, trams and mountain railways, many of which provide a critical link to the outside world for rural and mountain communities . Despite massive investment over the past four decades, through long-term expansion programs such as “Bahn 2000”. Switzerland’s railways are becoming a victim of their own success. While SBB’s overall accuracy still looks impressive to outsiders, there is concern about deteriorating performance, rising costs and its ability to fund essential maintenance and major projects after the devastating financial losses of 2020-21. Disruption is still relatively rare on the SBB network, but reliability has declined in recent years as a result of congestion, staff shortages and the poor punctuality of trains arriving from neighboring countries.
Strategic position
The train fell almost 800 meters during its descent from the mountains. MIKE WENDT Sitting in the heart of western Europe, between the industrial powerhouses of Germany, France and northern Italy, Switzerland also plays a key strategic role in the wider European economy — as it has since the Middle Ages. For centuries, the Alps were a formidable barrier to travelers and trade in this part of Europe, but in the last two decades, billions of Swiss francs have been invested to build the long Gotthard and Loetschberg base tunnels deep under the Alps. While other countries are arguing and dithering over public transport spending, in June 2022 the Swiss Federal Council opened consultations on the next long-term rail investment programme. Perspektive Bahn 2050 is a detailed set of proposals with a clear focus on developing short- and medium-distance passengers to promote the move away from cars. Strengthening the existing network to create additional capacity should be prioritized over more major infrastructure projects. Transport…
