BERN: A Swiss railway company has claimed the record for the world’s longest passenger train this weekend, sending a two-kilometre long trail of red carriages through the Alps.
The Rhaetian Railway company ran the 1906-metre-long train composed of 100 coaches along the Albula line route from Preda to Bergün.
Taking all night on Friday to assemble “like a string of pearls”, the hundred-coach service set off at 2.20 on the dot arriving in Bergün an hour and ten minutes later.
Around 3,000 train spotters and pedestrians lined the route through the UNESCO World Heritage area. Crowds and bypassers stopped to view the long red snaking train, emerging from the 22 tunnels and 48 bridges.
Crossing the world-famous Landwasser Viaduct, a spiralling 142 metre bridge, the two-kilometres of carriages appeared to tie each other in knots.
Renato Fasciati, director of Rhaetian Bahn said the record attempt was intended to highlight some of Switzerland’s engineering achievements and to celebrate 175 years of Swiss railways.
“After intensive preparation, we are overjoyed to have achieved this world record. Not only did we have a wonderful railway festival here in Bergün, but we were able to present ourselves around the world as a fascinating and innovative mountain railway thanks to our dedicated partners, sponsors and an incredibly dedicated team,” says.
