| Bernina railway Berninabahn | |
 | |
Location  | |
| Itinerary type | Railway |
|---|---|
| State |  Italy Switzerland |
| Start | Tirano |
| end | Sankt Moritz |
| Length | 61 km |
| Tourism site | |
Bernina railway is an itinerary that takes place through theItaly and the Switzerland.
Introduction
It is a mountain railway line that connects the city of Tirano, in Italy, with Switzerland Sankt Moritz. Built between 1906 and 1910 for tourism purposes, the line reaches a maximum altitude of 2,253 m with daring railway engineering works, making it the highest natural-grip railway in the Alps, as well as one of the steepest in the world (reaches a maximum gradient of 7%). Initially open only in the summer months, from the winter of 1913-1914 the line has been open all year round. The Bernina railway, together with the nearby Albula line, was included on July 7, 2008 in the list of the World Heritage Sites ofUNESCO, as technically advanced examples of high mountain landscape management and as the world's most spectacular narrow gauge railways. Since 1979 the line has been twinned with the Japanese Hakone Tozan Railway, built according to the same principle as the Bernina railway.
How to get
By car
- From Milan: SS 38 (Milan-Lecco-Sondrio)
- From Brescia: take the Camonica Valley and the Aprica Pass
Equipped area for campers in via Polveriera a Tirano. Behind the Tirano station in via Calcagno there is free parking for cars and motorcycles.
On the train
- Milan-Lecco-Sondrio-Tirano line (direct trains from Milan Central Station)
- Bergamo-Lecco-Tirano line
- Como-Lecco-Tirano line
By bus
- Perego bus line Milan-Lecco- (Teglio / Aprica) -Bormio-Santa Caterina Valfurva-(Livigno).
Preparations
More information on the website Bernina red train.
Two types of train can be used:
- Regional Train (without reservation, ticket can be purchased at the stations)
- Bernina Express, "Panoramic train" with domed windows requires, in addition to the purchase of the normal ticket, the obligatory reservation with supplement (14.00 CHF per person in summer and 10.00 CHF in winter) for each passenger occupying a seat (small children held in the arms do not pay the supplement; if they are less than 6 years old they do not pay the ticket. If they occupy a seat they pay the supplement and ticket). On the website of Rhaetian Railways you can buy tickets directly.
In the summer months (July-August) the train also offers uncovered panoramic carriages.
Tickets
- One way ticket in first class Tirano-Sankt Moritz: 56.00 CHF - in second class: 32.00 CHF (November 2017)
- Return ticket in first class Tirano-Sankt Moritz: 112.00 CHF - in second class: 64.00 CHF (November 2017)
Up to 6 years old: free ticket. From 6 to 16 years old: 50% discount. For 6 paying people, departing from Tirano: 20% reduction and one free ticket for every 10 participants. Reservations required for groups over 15 people.
Stages
Bernina Railway: full-screen map.
Italy
- 1 Tirano (429 m.) - It is the terminus of the Bernina Railway. Located about 2 km from the border with Switzerland, it is an important tourist center and meeting place for various communication routes: it is in fact located at the intersection of the Strada Statale n. 38 (so-called "Stelvio state road") and the road leading to the Bernina Pass and in Engadine. It rises at an altitude of 450 m and is surrounded by mountains: to the south the Orobie Alps valtellinesi, to the north the Bernina massif and to the north-east that of Stelvio. The town is located near the confluence of the Adda and Poschiavino rivers and the valleys in which they flow, respectively the Valtellina and the Val Poschiavina, the latter almost entirely located in Switzerland.
In Tirano there are two railway stations located on the same square, both serving as the terminus of the respective railway sections which, however, are not connected to each other:
- the RFI station, terminus of the line to Lecco, managed by the State Railways;
- the station of the Rhaetian Railway, terminus of the line for Sankt Moritz, a metric gauge, which crosses the Val Poschiavo and the Bernina Pass following a path that for beauty and daring is considered among the most interesting in the world.
Switzerland
- 2 Campocologno (553 m.) -
- 3 Brusio helical viaduct - The helical viaduct, 70 meters in radius and entirely visible throughout its development, allows you to gain, in a very small space with a constant slope of 70 ‰, the thirty meters of altitude necessary to reach the station of Buzz.
- 4 The Outlets (965 m.) - For about 1 km, the railway runs along the road and not infrequently the vehicles are forced to stop to let the passing train pass; in some places (especially in the locality of Sant'Antonio) the carriages touch the walls of the houses that overlook the street.
- 5 Poschiavo (1.014 m.) - After the Poschiavo station, the route starts climbing again along a very scenic wooded ridge. This section of the railway line is characterized by a series of tight hairpin bends with an average gradient of 70 ‰.
- 6 Alp Grüm (2.091 m.) - From this station, located on the side of a steep mountain pasture, you can admire the panorama of the whole Val Poschiavo and the glaciers facing the station itself.
- 7 Bernina Hospice (2,253 m.) - The highest point of the Bernina Railway line.
- 8 Morteratsch (1,896 m.) - This station is located at the bottom of the Morteratsch glacier valley; from here it is possible to admire the top of Pizzo Bernina (4,049 m) and the ridge that descends from White Lace, the so-called Biancograt.
- 9 Pontresina (1,774 m.) -
- 10 Celerina (1,716 m.) -
.JPG/220px-648,_St._Moritz,_2014_(07).JPG)
- 11 Sankt Moritz (1,775 m.) - It is a renowned winter and summer tourist resort of the Alps. St. Moritz is located in the Upper Engadine, on the left bank of the Inn, overlooking the lake of the same name. It is 49 km from Chiavenna, 57 km from Tirano, 77 km from Chur and 124 km from Lugano. The highest point of the municipality is the summit of Piz Güglia (3380 m.), On the border with Silvaplana. The city bases a large part of its economy on alpine tourism: in the area around the city there are ski lifts and ski slopes and several hiking trails in the mountains. Nearby, in the municipal area of Celerina, there is the Cresta Run, a bobsleigh and toboggan run. Another attraction is the homonymous lake.
Some "Bernina Express" rides also reach the locations of:
Safety
Inside the Swiss station a Tirano it is mandatory to present a personal document valid for expatriation: Italian passport or identity card valid for expatriation.
Around
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Bernina railway
Commons contains images or other files on Bernina railway
