Berninaexpress. Foto/Photo: www.rhb.ch,

The Bernina Express and UNESCO

Road Traffic between Engadin (Canton of Graubünden) and Tirano in the Valtellina (Veltin, Italy) has a long tradition.

For centuries, horses, stagecoaches, and sledges were the means of transport to cross the Bernina Pass. Travelling time was at least nine hours in the summer. Crossing the Bernina Pass in the winter was almost impossible and dangerous.

The new road over the Bernina Pass opened in 1864/65. Travellers could reach Tirano from St. Moritz/Samedan and vice versa more comfortably by stagecoach.

The idea of building a railway to promote the transport of goods and tourism came up. The Upper Engadine (Sils (Maria), St. Moritz) also saw the Bernina railway positively.

The Bernina-Bahngesellschaft (Bernina Railway Company) was founded on 15 September 1905 in Basel to connect St. Moritz to Tirano via the Bernina Pass and vice versa.

The communes, which the railway line connected, organised referendums because the citizens had to agree. They approved the project by a large majority.

The railway opened on 5 July 1910 and has been connecting St. Moritz and Tirano ever since. It was intended for summer use, but travel also began in the winter months in 1913/14.

The Rhaetian Railway Company (die Rhätische Bahn) is the present-day owner of the Bernina Express. The Bernina Railway celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2010 and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2008.

(Source: www.berninabahn.ch).