Bernina Express - UNESCO World Heritage Editorial Photo

The Bernina Express in Switzerland. The Bernina Express is an express train which connects Chur (or Davos) to Poschiavo and Tirano crossing the Swiss Alps from north to south. The train is operated by the Rhaetian Railway, it is not an express in the sense of being a high-speed train but rather in the sense that it provides a one-seat ride for a long duration travel. The trip on the Bernina Express is a 4 hour railway journey across 196 bridges, through 55 tunnels and across the Bernina Pass on the highest point at 2,253 metres in altitude. The entire line is metre gauge The Bernina Railway built the line from 1908-1910 and operated independently until the 1940s. The Bernina Express uses gradients of 7% to achieve a difference in height of about 1800 meters from the summit at Ospizio Bernina to Tirano. The Albula line and Bernina line on the Bernina Express route were declared a World Heritage Site in 2008.