Glacier Express

Background

The Glacier Express is a Swiss named train running as a panorama express between Zermatt and St. Moritz, crossing the central Swiss Alps via Andermatt and passing through the cantons of Valais, Uri and Graubünden. This is a route entry; Zermatt and the Matterhorn have their own entry. The train covers 291 kilometres, crossing 291 bridges and passing through 91 tunnels, in a one-seat ride of about 8 hours that skips local stops; it has panorama cars and a dining car, first- and second-class seating and barrier-free facilities. The line is 1,000-millimetre metre gauge, with 23.9 kilometres of rack sections for climbing steep gradients and controlling descents. The highest point is the Oberalp Pass at 2,033 metres and the lowest is Chur at 585 metres; the 15.4-kilometre Furka Tunnel bypasses the Furka Pass. The Landwasser Viaduct is a single-track, six-arch curved limestone viaduct, 65 metres high, that leads straight into the 216-metre Landwasser Tunnel, and it is the signature structure of the World Heritage-listed Albula Railway. The train's name honours the Rhône Glacier near Gletsch on the Furka Pass; it is also said to run "from the Matterhorn to Piz Bernina", after the famous peaks near the resorts at either end. On 7 July 2008 the Albula and Bernina Railways were jointly inscribed on the World Heritage List as the Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Landscapes. Since 2017 the train has been run by Glacier Express AG, jointly owned by the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn and the Rhaetian Railway; the direct service to Davos was discontinued in 2013 because of falling passenger numbers, and additional summer services were introduced in 2018.

Local customs

• Sit in a panorama car and take in the Rhine Gorge, the Landwasser Viaduct, the Oberalp Pass and the Matter Valley
• dine in the dining car, where fresh food is supplied by local businesses and caterers along the route
• you can also make the same journey on regular Rhaetian Railway and Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn trains without seat reservations, taking just over 8 hours and changing at Reichenau-Tamins, Disentis, Andermatt and Brig.

Travel tips

• Seat reservations and fares are as officially announced
• the train runs daily except during the late-autumn maintenance period, with exact suspension dates as officially announced
• luggage and connection arrangements are as officially announced
• weather on the mountain sections changes quickly, so bring warm layers and sun protection. Zermatt, the starting point, lies at the head of the Matter Valley
• drivers leave their cars at Täsch, where the public road ends, and continue by train
• you can also reach Zermatt by train via Brig and Visp up the Matter Valley. Stops along the way are Fiesch, Andermatt, Disentis, Chur, Thusis, Tiefencastel, Filisur, Bergün, Samedan and Celerina
• check official information for specific stops and connections.
• The train runs all year (except the late-autumn maintenance period)
• summer and winter scenery differ, in winter keep an eye on the weather over the passes, and service changes are as officially announced.