Switzerland celebrated the 175th anniversary of the country’s first railway recently, by launching the world’s longest passenger train – 100 cars measuring almost 1 906m long and weighing 2 990 tonnes.
The train, made up of 25 electric trains, took nearly an hour to travel 25km through the Unesco World Heritage Albula Line in eastern Switzerland, according to CNN. The route took the train from 1 788m above sea level to just 999,3m throughout the journey, which was organised by the Swiss Rhaetische Railway and Stadler.
The trip took place on a narrow-gauge railway, which is one metre wide, rather than the usual 1,435m-wide railways mostly seen in Europe.
"We all know the Albula Line very well; every change of gradient, every incline," said lead driver, Andreas Kramer, before the journey. Kramer, assisted by six drivers and 21 technicians, had to set up a temporary field telephone system to help maintain communication between drivers throughout the journey, to ensure the train could travel safely at up to 35km/h.
An accompanying festival at Bergün celebrated the launch, with 3 000 ticket winners allowed to watch the attempt at navigating the world’s longest passenger train via live TV.
Switzerland is a leading light in rail travel in Europe. The Swiss Rail system is famous for its efficiency, density and punctuality and is a source of national pride. Statistically, every inhabitant of Switzerland travels 2 505km per year (2019). Only the Japanese travel more on their own national train system.
