Bernina Line

A winter cab ride over the Bernina Pass from St. Moritz to Tirano in Italy, past Lago Bianco and Alp Grüm and down 7 per cent grades to the Brusio spiral viaduct.

The route

The Bernina line runs 61 km from St. Moritz in the Engadin over the Bernina Pass to Tirano in Italy's Valtellina. At Ospizio Bernina it reaches 2,253 m, the highest rail crossing of the Alps. It opened in stages from 1908 and was complete in 1910. Unusually, it was not built for transit traffic. Its backers were the investors behind the Brusio power company, who wanted access to hydro-electric plants south of the pass and saw a chance to bring tourists up to the glaciers. They built it without cantonal subsidy.

What sets the line apart is that it climbs and descends without a rack. Gradients reach 7 per cent, which makes it one of the steepest adhesion railways anywhere. It is metre gauge and was electrified from the start, today at 1,000 V DC. Over its length it uses 52 bridges and viaducts and 13 tunnels and galleries, dropping from the pass to just 429 m at Tirano. That is a fall of more than 1,800 m in a single journey, through alpine, then forest, then almost Mediterranean country.

In 2008 the Bernina line and the Albula line were inscribed together as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today it carries local trains for the Poschiavo valley as well as the Bernina Express, the Rhaetian Railway's panoramic service between Chur or Davos and Tirano. Keeping a high pass open all winter is a large part of the work. Snow clearance at Ospizio Bernina and Alp Grüm is as much a part of the line's character as its viaducts.

What you will see

From St. Moritz the train swings east to Pontresina and then climbs the Bernina valley. On the way up, the Morteratsch Glacier comes into view, a long tongue of ice from the Bernina range. Above the tree line the landscape becomes almost bare, and this winter film shows it under deep snow. Near the top the line runs along the eastern shore of Lago Bianco, a dammed lake that marks the watershed between the Danube and the Po. In winter it often lies frozen and white.

Beyond Ospizio Bernina the descent begins, and the change is quick. Alp Grüm sits at the tree line, high above the Palü Glacier and the Poschiavo valley. It is the last stop before the language changes from Romansh and German to Italian. From here the line winds down in tight bends and short tunnels on grades of up to 7 per cent, with the valley floor far below. Notice how slowly and steadily the train holds its speed on the way down.

Past Poschiavo the line runs beside the lake at Le Prese, where it shares the village street with road traffic. Below Brusio it makes a full circle on the Brusio spiral viaduct, built only to lose height. Look for the moment when the track passes under its own arches. The last stretch runs through vineyards and orchards and crosses the main square at Madonna di Tirano before reaching the terminus in Italy.

Riding it for real

The line belongs to the Rhaetian Railway. The Bernina Express runs in panoramic coaches with large windows, and a seat reservation is compulsory. Regular regional trains cover the same route between St. Moritz and Tirano and can usually be used without a reservation; some carriages have windows that open, which suits photographers. The Swiss Travel Pass covers the fare on both; the Bernina Express reservation is charged on top.

Tirano's Italian station stands next to the Rhaetian Railway terminus, so the trip combines easily with onward travel in Italy. In winter the views over the pass depend on the weather, so allow some flexibility. Check the Rhaetian Railway website for current timetables, reservation rules and fares before you travel.

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