Recently, Switzerland’s railway operator set a new record with a 1.9km train, the world’s longest passenger train to date.
The 1.9km (1.2 miles) train is composed of 100 coaches and completed a 25km (15.5 miles) discourse through the Alps.
The world record attempt took place to commemorate Switzerland’s engineering achievements. Additionally, it was to mark the successful 175 years of Swiss railways.
BTS of the train’s creation
For the 175th anniversary of Switzerland’s first railway, the country’s rail industry joined forces to build the world’s longest passenger train, accommodating 100 coaches, 2,990 tonnes and stretches to two kilometres long.
The world record attempt took in the beautiful Landwasser Viaduct and the spirals that secured Glacier Express’ international heritage status since 1930.
Previously, the holders of the world’s longest passenger train record, the Netherlands and Belgium, used standard gauge railways through flat landscapes to their advantage.
Yet, this train started preparations months before the RhB (Rhaetian Railway) event.
A train for all
It is for the benefit of rail users travelling an average of 2,450 kilometres yearly by train. European countries commonly use this kind of transportation as mobility prospers in recent decades. The average annual distance travelled by car and public transport doubled in the last 50 years.
The train travelled 19.7 billion passenger-kilometres by rail in 2019. It was the last “normal” year before the COVID-19 pandemic hits. It shows a decrease in 2021 to 12.5 billion passenger kilometres. But hopefully, with this 175th celebration, the first railway opened between Zurich and Baden will receive better ridership on the way back to pre-pandemic levels.
It’s another remarkable milestone achieved by Switzerland’s engineers as they successfully built the longest 100-carriage train to celebrate 175 years of Swiss rail glory.
Sources: BBC News, CNN Travel, SKY News