Glacier Express
The Glacier Express in the Albula Valley.
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|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Inter-city |
| Status | Operating |
| Locale | Graubünden, Uri and Valais, Switzerland |
| Current operator(s) |
Rhaetian Railway Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn |
| Former operator(s) |
Furka Oberalp Bahn BVZ Zermatt-Bahn |
| Route | |
| Start | St Moritz / Davos / Chur |
| End | Zermatt |
| Distance travelled | Varies |
| Average journey time | Varies |
| Service frequency | Several times daily |
| On-board services | |
| Class(es) | 1st and 2nd |
| Disabled access | Yes |
| Catering facilities | Restaurant car |
| Observation facilities | Panorama cars |
| Technical | |
| Panorama cars Restaurant car |
|
| Track gauge | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge |
| Electrification | 11 kV AC 16 2⁄3 Hz |
Coordinates: 46°35′42″N 9°45′36″E / 46.59500°N 9.76000°E
The Glacier Express is an express train connecting railway stations of the two major mountain resorts of St. Moritz and Zermatt in the Swiss Alps. The train is operated jointly by the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGB) and Rhaetian Railway (RhB). For much of its journey, it also passes along and through the World Heritage Site known as the Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes.
The train is not an "express" in the sense of being a high-speed train, but rather, in the sense that it provides a one-seat ride for a long duration travel. In fact it has the reputation of being the slowest express train in the world. As St. Moritz and Zermatt are home to two well-known mountains, the Glacier Express is also said to travel from Piz Bernina to Matterhorn.
The Glacier Express first ran in 1930. Initially, it was operated by three railway companies: the Brig–Visp–Zermatt Bahn (BVZ), the Furka Oberalp Bahn, and the RhB. Since 2003, the train has been operated by RhB and a newly established company, the MGB, which arose from a merger between the BVZ and the FO.
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