Glacier Express

 

The Glacier Express is a train that connects St Moritz and Chur with Zermatt. The train journey takes seven and a half hours. The length of Glacier Express is 290 kilometres. It is often called the slowest express train in the world.

 

 

 

The Glacier Express runs all year. It is run by Rhatische Bahn, here is a link to their website and Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, here is a link to their website. In 2003 the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn was created by merging the Zermatt Bahn and the Furka Oberalp Bahn. Before the merger, the Zermatt Bahn run the trains between Zermatt and Brig, while the Furka Oberalp Bahn run the trains between Brig and Disentis. Rhatische Bahn run the trains between Disentis and Chur/St Moritz.

 

The Glacier Express uses the narrow gauge, 1000 mm, rather than the standard gauge, 1435 mm. The Glacier Express is very popular, especially in summer, so book in advance. Note that the Glacier Express runs in both directions so you can start either in Zermatt or in Chur/St Moritz.

 

Zermatt is a car-free town, with a wonderful view of the Matterhorn. Zermatt has three world-class ski areas, the Sunnegga, the Gornergrat, and the Klein Matterhorn. In summer, hiking is popular with many beautiful trails. The main drawback with Zermatt is the cost. Even for Swiss standards, Zermatt is expensive. Unless you are on a generous budget, you need to plan your days in Zermatt in order to make the most of your time in Zermatt.

 

 

The first part of the Glacier Express is between Zermatt and Brig. Zermatt is 1605 metres above sea level while Brig is 670 metres above sea level. The track passes through the Matter valley and then the Visper valley down to the Rhone valley. Visp is the lowest station on this part of the Glacier Express, 625 metres above sea level. Five rack sections are used to cope with the steep parts.

 

First station after leaving Zermatt is Tasch, most people traveling by car park their cars here and take the train up to Zermatt. This explains the huge car park along the railway track. The huge rock slide in 1991 at Randa is still visible. The Matter valley has some spectacular views and many typical Swiss villages.

 

 

Between Visp and Brig the Glacier Express runs along the SBB track, which uses the standard gauge. You can change trains towards Montreux, Bern and Italy at Visp and Brig. The routes to Bern and Italy are beautiful train journeys. The trains to Italy use the 19.8 km Simplon tunnel, which was also used by the Simplon-Orient-Express.

 

The Glacier Express follows the river Rhone almost to its source. If you have time and the weather permits, it is worth taking the cable car from Betten up to the Aletsch Glacier. With 23 kilometres it is the longest glacier in Europe.

 

Trains started to run along the Glacier Express route in 1926, between Chur and Zermatt. The trains only run during summer, the Furka Pass was closed during winter. With the completion of the Furka-Basis tunnel (length 15.4 km), between Oberwald and Realp, in 1982 the Glacier Express could run all year round. Unfortunately, some of the most spectacular views disappeared. If you have the time, it is well worth hiring a motorbike or convertible to drive through the Furka and Grimsel passes. Note that these passes open first in June.

 

In Andermatt you can change to the Wilhelm Tell Express, which runs between Lucerne (Luzern) and Lugano, run by the SBB. Note that you have to take the train to Göchenen if you want use the SBB services. The journey between Andermatt and Göchenen is just 3.8 km but very steep.

 

After Andermatt the Glacier Express climbs up to its highest elevation at 2033 metres at the Oberalp Pass. Then it is downhill to the Rhine valley. In Disentis the Rhätische Bahn takes over the Glacier Express, this means change of the locomotives.

 

In Tamins the Vorderrhein, which the Glacier Express has been following, merge with the Hinterrhein to create what the locals call Alpenrhein. Although in English, Alpenrhein is often called the Rhine. The stretch between Reichenau-Tamins and Chur is the only part of the Glacier Express that has double tracks.

 

The Chur railway station hosts both the SBB and the Rhätische Bahn, so you find both standard gauge (1435 mm) tracks and meter gauge tracks. It's possible to disembark in Chur and explore the region on your own. Both Davos and St Moritz are served by frequent train services from Chur. For more information about what to do in Chur, follow this link.

 

 

The Glacier Express reverse in Chur and follow the track of the Bernina Express towards St Moritz. No tracking system is used on the tracks of the Bernina Express so some parts have extra loops and tunnels to artificially gain height. It is one of the most interesting parts of the Glacier Express, you can read more about it here.

 

St. Moritz is a famous winter resort, but it is well worth visiting in summer as well. It lacks the picturesque character you may expect from alpine town but the beautiful surroundings make up for the lack of character. St. Moritz is far from cheap but not as expensive as Zermatt

 

So what time of the year is the best time for the Glacier Express? Personally, I prefer spring or autumn, with snow in the mountains. In winter, it's simply too much snow. It is fun in the beginning but after a few hours it is becoming boring watching snow all the time. In summer, I miss the snow and the Glacier Express is simply too crowded. Also, on sunny summer days the panorama carts are a mixed blessing, wonderful views but also very little shade. Remember to bring a hat, seven hours in the sun takes its toll. Generally, the east-bound service, from Zermatt to St. Moritz, is less popular than the west-bound service. So if you can choose your starting point, you may prefer to travel eastwards.

 

For more information about trains in Switzerland, visit the SBB web site by clicking on this link