For more than a century Switzerland has been a treasure trove of ambitious engineering projects, and the Rhaetian Railway, which is universally known for its two routes, the Bernina and the Albula, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. Every year these routes attract hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world who discover Switzerland’s green valleys, impervious gorges, lakes, glaciers, bridges and the incredible spiral viaducts that seem to touch the sky.
The Bernina Express, the flagship of the Rhaetian Railway, connects Tirano, which is the gateway to the Valtellina valley, to St. Moritz and Chur, the oldest city in Switzerland and the capital of the Grisons Canton. It then covers a further 200 kilometres and more to the resorts of Arosa, Davos and Scuol which is a stunning spa resort in the Lower Engadine.
Bernina Express on the Brusio Viaduct (Bernina Line)
The little Rhaetian Railway red trains have become a favourite with Italian and German tourists, for both of whom the journey is an easy day trip. It is also a prized destination for travellers from as far away as Asia. Because, numbers in hand, no other Swiss destination has as many passengers as the Rhaetian Railway.
"A success that started some thirty years ago, when we first marketed our train in Italy," says Enrico Bernasconi, the Rhaetian Railway's representative for Italy.
"The pace picked up in 2007 in anticipation of the UNESCO candidacy, with Italy and Germany gaining in importance, the former considered at the time an emerging market, where forms of excursion tourism could be developed, the latter already the railway's main catchment area, after Switzerland.”
What is the Rhaetian Railway’s appeal?"In 2006, the Italian market was 3% of our business, today it is 20%, the highest increase of all our markets. This sees Italy in third place, but very close to the second place which is still Germany, which comes after the Swiss market, or rather the Swiss point-of-sale, as it also includes all sales to international tourists who find themselves in Switzerland. The Rhaetian Railway is everyone's dream: sales have continued to grow, both in terms of passenger numbers and revenue, with over 300,000 Italians every year. And after the pandemic 80% of the bookings - both individuals and groups – rescheduled their departures, adding to the strong demand for bookings this year.”
Bernina Express on the Landwasser Viaduct (Albula Line)
"The proximity, the perception of Switzerland as a safe and quality destination, competitive prices for an experience that can be enjoyed over a short period of time. And, last but not least, the growing focus on sustainable travel. We are ecological par excellence, our environmental impact is zero, and we even produce the electricity to run our trains by taking the water from Lake Bianco.
Our commitment is to limit as far as possible any fall-off in quality potentially caused by high demand, which means that we find ourselves having to say no to travel agencies and tour operators, although their clients have been asking for seats on the Bernina Express for months. And then there are passengers who choose to travel standing, for which reservations are not required.
So we have come up with valid alternatives, starting with the Albula route, which is an itinerary through landscapes that are just as idyllic. Passengers who have so far taken this route have been more than satisfied, actually beyond our wildest expectations. Then, at the end of 2026, with the change of the railway timetable on the Bernina route, we will be introducing trains every 30 minutes in both directions (instead of every hour as is the case today) with a considerable increase in the number of available seats.
The future is clear, all that remains is “to count on the collaboration of our trade partners, whom we thank and to whom we ask a little more patience to get through the two years that will take us to 2026.”
Bernina Express near Bergün (Albula Line)
