Navigate from Chur Station (Graubünden, Switzerland) to Tirano Station (Lombardia, Italy) across a span of 122km.
Scenery Highlights
Landwasser Viaduct (65 m high, 100 m radius curved stone arch) near Filisur — the most photographed structure on the entire route
Albula Tunnel spiral sections (the 5.866 km Preda–Spinas tunnel plus the open-air spiral loops at Bergün and Preda)
St. Moritz lakefront (1,822 m) and the Corviglia / Corvatsch ski arena in winter
Pontresina village and the moraine walk up to the Morteratsch Glacier viewpoint
Bernina Pass summit (Ospizio Bernina station, 2,253 m) — small lake immediately south of the station reflects the snow-capped peaks of the Bernina Group
Alp Grüm viewing station (2,091 m) — open-air balcony above the Palü Glacier with 180° views into Italy
Brusio spiral viaduct — nine stone arches forming a 360° loop; the visual reverse of a corkscrew
Poschiavo historic centre (Renaissance arcades, Piazza Comunale) and the Palazzetto Magnani frescoes
Tirano Piazza Basilica with the Italianate 16th-century Santuario della Madonna di Tirano façade greeting arriving trains
Climate shift on the descent — palm trees, vines and fig trees within 30 minutes of leaving the Bernina Pass summit
Quick Facts
Duration
4 hours
Distance
122 km
Est. Price
Moderate to Expensive — Chur → Tirano 2nd class from CHF 41 + CHF 20 seat reservation in summer (1 May – 31 Oct); 1st class from CHF 72 + CHF 20; Cab Ride ~CHF 280; Tirano → St. Moritz / Pontresina half-journey from CHF 18 (2nd class) / CHF 30 (1st class).
Meals: None (bistro service in the panoramic coach sells snacks and hot drinks)
Ensuite: No
Meals: None (1st class passengers receive a complimentary RhB welcome refreshment on most panoramic services; the Bistro Car sells regional Plättli, Capuns, Bündner Gerstensuppe and Birnbrot)
Ensuite: No
Meals: None
Ensuite: No
Meals: None
Ensuite: No
Engine / Locomotive
Rhaetian Railway (RhB) Ge 4/4 III 'Allegra' class electric locomotives (1,000 V DC and 11 kV 16.7 Hz AC dual-voltage), plus ABe 8/12 'Bernina Express 1' articulated EMU (3-voltage, designed specifically for the Bernina corridor); on heritage days the original RhB Ge 4/4 I 'Krokodil' locomotives are rostered
Locomotive Weight
Ge 4/4 III — 68 tonnes (1,000 V DC mode) / 72 tonnes (AC mode); ABe 8/12 'Bernina Express 1' EMU — 105 tonnes; Ge 4/4 I 'Krokodil' — 49 tonnes
Track Gauge
1,000 mm (metre gauge)
Braking Technology
Electric regenerative braking (modern EMU and Allegra); rheostatic brake on steep alpine gradients; air brake on heritage rolling stock; parking brake required at Ospizio Bernina summit (1 in 14 gradient on the Tirano ramp — the steepest adhesion-worked mainline descent in Europe)
Route Engineering Challenges
Bernina Pass at 2,253 m — highest railway pass in the Alps; adhesion-only (non-rack) mainline with 70‰ (7%) gradient on both sides
Albula Line spiral tunnels between Filisur and Bergün — three tight helical tunnels (Rugnux, Toua, Glatschiu) plus the famous open-air spiral viaducts at Preda and Bergün
Brusio spiral viaduct — 9 stone arches in a 360° loop, 110 m radius, 17 m high; the most distinctive engineering feature of the Bernina Line
Climate zone transition from Swiss alpine to Italian Mediterranean within 30 km of descent on the Tirano ramp
Multi-voltage operation: 11 kV AC (Albula + Engadin) → 1,000 V DC (Bernina + Tirano); the ABe 8/12 'Bernina Express 1' EMU is one of the very few tri-voltage metre-gauge units in the world
Landwasser Viaduct approach with a tight 100 m radius curve directly onto the 65 m-high, 102 m-long stone-arch span — engineering landmark shared with the Glacier Express
UNESCO World Heritage Site management — every modification to the historic Albula / Bernina corridors must pass cantonal and federal heritage review (inscribed 2008)
1 in 14 (≈71‰) descent from Ospizio Bernina to Tirano — the steepest adhesion-worked mainline gradient in Europe; requires careful regenerative-brake management and is the most common cause of winter service suspensions
Line length
122 km Chur → Tirano (Albula Line 62 km + Bernina Line 60 km)
Number of tunnels
55 (Albula 42, Bernina 13) including the 5,866 m Albula Tunnel and 689 m Bernina Tunnel
Number of bridges
196 (Albula 144, Bernina 52) including the Landwasser Viaduct and Brusio spiral viaduct
Highest point
Ospizio Bernina station at 2,253 m above sea level
Traction system
11 kV 16.7 Hz AC (Albula + Engadin) / 1,000 V DC (Bernina + Tirano); ABe 8/12 'Bernina Express 1' EMU is tri-voltage
Max gradient
70‰ (7%) on the Bernina ramps — adhesion-worked only (no rack)
Max altitude difference
1,824 m (Chur 585 m → Ospizio Bernina 2,253 m → Tirano 429 m)
UNESCO status
Inscribed 2008 as 'Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes'
Operator
Rhaetian Railway (RhB / Ferrovie retiche), a Swiss cantonal-mixed company owned 51% by the Canton of Graubünden and 43% by the Swiss Confederation
Operating speed
60 km/h regional; 75 km/h on panoramic express sections; reduced to 30 km/h on the spiral viaducts and through Filisur
1910 (full Bernina line Tirano – St. Moritz; one of the world's first electric mainline railways at 1,000 V DC)
Journey time
Approx 4 h Chur → Tirano by Bernina Express panoramic service; 7 h with stops and connections
Crossing time at border
Approx 3 minutes (Campocologno Swiss-Italian border; passport / ID required)
Seat reservation
CHF 20 supplement required for the panoramic Bernina Express service 1 May – 31 October 2026 (not required for the parallel RegioExpress panoramic services)
Quick Facts
Duration
4 hours
Distance
122 km
Est. Price
Moderate to Expensive — Chur → Tirano 2nd class from CHF 41 + CHF 20 seat reservation in summer (1 May – 31 Oct); 1st class from CHF 72 + CHF 20; Cab Ride ~CHF 280; Tirano → St. Moritz / Pontresina half-journey from CHF 18 (2nd class) / CHF 30 (1st class).