A Swiss railway company claimed the record for the world’s longest passenger train on the weekend with a trip on one of the most spectacular tracks through the Alps. The Rhaetian Railway company ran the 1.9-km.-long train composed of 100 coaches along the Albula/Bernina route from Preda to Berguen.

The route was designated a UNESCO World Heritage in 2008 and leads through 22 tunnels, some of which spiral through mountains, and across 48 bridges, including the curved Landwasser Viaduct.

The entire journey took over an hour. Rail enthusiasts lined the valley to watch the train’s 25 sections wind their way about 25 km. through the Alps.

Rhaetian Railway director Renato Fasciati said the record attempt was intended to highlight some of Switzerland’s engineering achievements and to celebrate 175 years of Swiss railways.

Facts and figures

• The train consisted of 25 compositions, each with four carriages of the new Capricorn railcars, and had a total length of 1,906 m.

• “Capricorn” is the Rhaeto-Romanic term for ibex.

• The world-record route from Preda to Alvaneu is 24,930 m. long
• The train covered a difference in altitude of 789.4 m.

• The world record-breaking journey crossed 48 bridges and went through 22 tunnels

• The largest viaduct on the world record route is the world-famous Landwasser Viaduct just after Filisur with a length of 142 m. and a height of 65 m.

• The longest tunnel on the world record route is the Greifenstein Tunnel just before Filisur which is 698 m. long

• The attempt to break the world record generated 4,000 kWh of braking energy (recuperation)

• The world-record train travelled at a speed of 30 to 35 km/h

• The record-breaking journey took around an hour

• The weight of the record-breaking train was around 2,990 tonnes

• Communication within the train was ensured by means of a field telephone almost 2 km. long from the Civil Defence

• In addition, 7 train drivers and 21 technicians were at work on the train to ensure its operability.