Navigate from Zermatt Railway Station (Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn terminus, 1,604 m) to St. Moritz Railway Station (Rhaetian Railway, 1,775 m) across a span of 291km.
Scenery Highlights
Landwasser Viaduct (Filisur approach, 65 m curved stone drop — most photographed railway viaduct in Europe)
Rhine Gorge ('Swiss Grand Canyon' between Reichenau-Tamins and Thusis — Versam gorge section)
Oberalp Pass (2,033 m apex — Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn rack section with seasonal alpine lake at the summit)
Matterhorn silhouette at Zermatt departure (4,478 m — Gornergrat Bahn observation platform 5 minutes' walk from the station)
Albula Line UNESCO spiral tunnels (Preda ↔ Bergün, three helical loops within 5 km of track)
Albulatunnel portal (5,866 m at 1,820 m elevation — longest Albula Line tunnel)
Engadin valley approach between Samedan and St. Moritz (lake district, larch forests, 1,775 m terminus)
Disentis/Mustér Benedictine monastery visible from the train during the MGB / RhB operator hand-over stop
Quick Facts
Duration
8 hours
Distance
291 km
Est. Price
Expensive (CHF 159–812 depending on class + CHF 54 mandatory seat reservation)
Meals: None (Glacier Bar and at-seat food cart available for purchase)
Ensuite: No
Meals: None (Glacier Bar and at-seat food cart available for purchase)
Ensuite: No
Meals: 5-Course Gourmet Lunch with welcome Champagne, regional wines, bar service and dedicated host
Ensuite: No
Engine / Locomotive
MGB HGe 4/4 II rack-and-adhesion diesel-electric (Brig ↔ Disentis) + RhB Ge 4/4 II or Ge 4/4 III adhesion (Disentis ↔ St. Moritz)
Locomotive Weight
MGB HGe 4/4 II approx. 64 tonnes; RhB Ge 4/4 II approx. 50 tonnes; RhB Ge 4/4 III approx. 51 tonnes
Track Gauge
1,000 mm (meter gauge)
Braking Technology
Air brakes with regenerative/rheostatic braking on the Ge 4/4 III fleet; rack pinion braking on MGB Abt sections; combined adhesion + rack on the Oberalp Pass section
Route Engineering Challenges
Traverses 291 bridges and 91 tunnels throughout the 8-hour journey, with multiple heritage stone viaducts dating from 1902 (Landwasser) and 1926 (Solis)
Climbs to 2,033 m Oberalp Pass using Abt rack-and-pinion technology on the MGB section between Andermatt and Sedrun
Navigates spiral tunnels of the Albula Line (UNESCO World Heritage) — three helical loops between Preda and Bergün within 5 km of track
Crosses the 5,866 m Albulatunnel at 1,820 m elevation — longest tunnel on the Rhaetian Railway Albula corridor
Gradients up to 110‰ (11%) on Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn mountain sections between Brig and Disentis
Landwasser Viaduct approach requires tight 100 m radius curve geometry (one of the tightest mainline curves on the Albula Line)
Joint MGB / RhB operation requires a 30-minute locomotive change and crew hand-over at Disentis/Mustér station
Operates at up to 80 km/h on mountain sections; limited to 30 km/h on rack-and-pinion sections through the Oberalp Pass
Traction System
11 kV AC 16.7 Hz overhead line (MGB and RhB electrified sections); rack-and-pinion Abt system on Oberalp Pass
Max Grade
110‰ (11 percent) on Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn; 70‰ on Albula Line adhesion section
Max Operating Speed
80 km/h on mountain sections; 30 km/h on rack-and-pinion sections
Albulatunnel Length
5,866 m at 1,820 m elevation (UNESCO Albula Line)
Landwasser Viaduct
65 m high, 136 m long curved six-arch limestone viaduct near Filisur (1902, UNESCO 2008)
Operator Hand-over Station
Disentis/Mustér (1,130 m) — MGB north of this point, RhB south
Cantons Served
Valais, Uri, Graubünden (Engadin); four cantons in total
First Through-Service
25 August 1930 (pre-war journey took 11 hours)
Carriage Fleet (2019 redesign)
Stadler panoramic-glacier-express — entirely new build for the 2019 season, 75 carriages total
Booking Lead Time (Peak Summer)
4–8 weeks in advance for Excellence Class; 2–4 weeks for 2nd/1st class
Languages Spoken On-board
German, French, Italian, Romansh, English (audio guides in 8 languages)
Livery
Glacier Express red (RhB) and Glacier Express white (MGB) — both with new 2019 Glacier Express wordmark
Booking Platforms
glacierexpress.ch (primary), SBB.ch, Eurail.com, local Swiss travel agents, hotel concierge services
Quick Facts
Duration
8 hours
Distance
291 km
Est. Price
Expensive (CHF 159–812 depending on class + CHF 54 mandatory seat reservation)