Railfans are rock-hard today, with Switzerland recently breaking the world record for the longest passenger train. The 1.93-kilometre train completed a short trip through the Swiss Alps mountainous region on Saturday, setting a new Guinness World Record along the way. While we commend this marvellous feat of engineering, spare a thought for the people having to wait at the railway crossing.
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The one-off record attempt was organised by Rhaetian Railway is part of the Swiss rail industry’s celebration of the 175th anniversary of its first railway. The 4,550-seat train was made from 25 new “Capricorn” electric trains, which consist of four cars, bringing the total number to 100. The voyage took months to plan and required seven drivers and 21 technicians to complete.
Longest Passenger Train, rail enthusiasts lined the valley to watch the train winds its way through a 25km UNESCO World Heritage route from the Albula Tunnel in Preda to the iconic Landwasser Viaduct just outside Filisur, according to a press release. Travelling at speeds of between 30 kph and 35kph, the giant vehicle covered the distance in an hour, crossing 48 bridges and 22 tunnels on its way into the history books.
This Saturday, 29 October, as part of the celebrations to mark the 175th anniversary of Switzerland’s railways, the Rhaetian Railway @rhaetischebahn will be attempting a world record with the longest passenger train in the world! 🚂 https://t.co/sm1ok9WYsY
— Switzerland Tourism (@MySwitzerland_e) October 28, 2022
The world record attempt was organised to celebrate 175 years of Swiss rails but also to showcase the magic of Swiss train journeys accord to Dr Renato Fasciati, CEO of Rhaetian Railway.
“We had some troubles during the corona crisis (COVID 19 pandemic), so we lost 30 per cent of our turnover for guests on the train and so we tried to find a good event in order to increase the awareness of our beautiful UNESCO’s World Heritage route,” explained Fasciati. “And so this world record attempt is a wonderful reason and a wonderful instrument for us to show the world this beautiful railway.”
The train broke the record set by the National Belgian Railway Company in 1991. Measuring 1.73km and consisting of 70 coaches, it travelled over 60kms from Ghent to Ostend on a one-off trip organised in support of a Belgian cancer research charity. The record for the longest train of any type was set in 2001 by an Australian freight train called Mt Goldworthy (hold onto this for your next trivia night). Owned by mining company BHP, it measured a staggering 7.24km with record-breaking tonnage of 90,475 tonnes.
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