Glacier Express

“The world’s slowest express”: 291 bridges, 91 tunnels and the 2,033 m Oberalp Pass at an average of 36 km/h.

It takes the best part of a day to cross Switzerland sideways, and that is precisely the point, slow travel codified into a timetable. From Zermatt the metre-gauge line drops down the Matter Valley, burrows beneath the Furka, then racks up to the treeless saddle of the Oberalp before tracing the Vorderrhein’s limestone canyon. White-tablecloth lunches are plated on board while the two railways that jointly run the train swap locomotives and dialects along the way.

Stations

1. 0 kmZermatt
2. 34 kmVisp
3. 43 kmBrig Bahnhofplatz
4. 108 kmAndermatt
5. 136 kmDisentis/Mustér
6. 193 kmChur
7. 232 kmTiefencastel
8. 242 kmFilisur
9. 274 kmSamedan
10. 279 kmSt. Moritz

The stations OpenStreetMap lists for this service, in order, with the distance along the line as drawn here. A train may skip some of them.

Along the way

• Matterhorn farewell at Zermatt
• Furka Base Tunnel
• Oberalp Pass at 2,033 m
• Rhine Gorge — the Swiss Grand Canyon
• Landwasser Viaduct
• St. Moritz lake finale

How this line was checked

• Line drawn from OpenStreetMap relation 14616806 — the same nodes OpenStreetMap holds for this railway, thinned to within 60 m of them
• Checked against OpenStreetMap: 98% of this line lies within 250 m of real track (median 19 m); the longest stretch away from it is 5.5 km
• Checked against the running timetable via ÖBB Scotty: our line sits 0.1 km from the shape of PE GEX
• Wikipedia has an article for this line
• See for yourself: open this line on the map with OpenStreetMap's own railway drawn underneath it

Questions and answers

How long is the Glacier Express?

The Glacier Express runs 291 km from Zermatt to St. Moritz.

How long does the Glacier Express take?

The fastest scheduled journey is ≈ 8 h for the 291 km. That is an average of 36 km/h end to end. The line's top service speed is 90 km/h.

Who runs the Glacier Express?

RhB and MGB, with panorama cars, metre gauge.

How old is the Glacier Express?

The line has been in service since 1930. That is the year the atlas dates it from: for a modern brand running over an older railway, it is the railway's date, not the brand's.

How high does the Glacier Express climb?

2,033 m above sea level at its highest point.

View on the world railway map →

Read more on Wikipedia ↗