EPA
News from the NOS•
On Saturday, the Swiss railway company Rhaetian Railway set a world record by traveling a train of 1.9 kilometers on a well-known route through the Alps. 200 meters.
The images below show how the train moves through the Alps:
New world record: a 1.9 kilometer train crosses the Swiss Alps
By mid-afternoon the train ran from Preda to Bergün, a 25-kilometer stretch of curves, tunnels and bridges, including the famous Landwasser viaduct. The Swiss railway was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2008.
The train, weighing almost 3000 tons, made up of 25 convoys of four carriages each, took about 46 minutes on the route. Seven drivers and 21 mechanics were involved in the record attempt to allow the behemoth to drive safely. The passengers who had bought a ticket for the special journey traveled on the train, as did the journalists.
3000 enthusiasts gathered in Bergün to see how the exceptionally long train moved along the tracks. Among these also Maurits Wever of Leiden. “This is such a beautiful event. You have to imagine being in the middle of the mountains and looking at one of the most beautiful railway lines in Europe.”
We thought it was “very nice” to see a new world record. Yesterday he went to Switzerland with a friend for this purpose – by train of course. “I’ve been here maybe ten times, but it was very special. We have three views of the track from this point, so we’ve seen the train go by three times.”
To make the record attempt possible, no other train went through the Albula tunnel for twelve hours on Saturday. The attempt was part of the celebration of the 175th anniversary of the Swiss Railways.
