World’s longest passenger train with 100 carriages travels through Swiss Alps; Watch

A Swiss railway firm, Rhaetian Railway company on Saturday won the title of the longest passenger train in the world. With a journey on one of the most breathtaking routes across the Swiss Alps, the 100-coach train operated between Preda and Berguen. According to the Associated Press report, the company operated the 1.9-kilometer-long train along the Albula/Bernina route. Furthermore, the train carried 150 people, which has a silver roof and has a digital destination sign stating "Alpine Cruise" mounted on the front. 

It is pertinent to mention that people gathered in the valley to see the 25 sections of the train moving through the Alps over a distance of around 25 kilometers. According to the ABC report, to compare the differences, a typical Sydney passenger carriage is roughly 20 meters long and consists of 8 carriages, which equates to slightly over 160 meters, including the driver's compartment. The world-record Swiss train was nearly twelve times longer than the usual one.  

(credit: AP)

(Credit: AP)

In addition to this, the route, which crosses 48 bridges, including the curving Landwasser Viaduct, and passes through 22 tunnels, some of which wind through mountains, was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. 

175 years of Swiss railroads

Renato Fasciati, the Director of the Rhaetian Railway Company, stated that the record attempt was made to honour 175 years of Swiss railroads and to showcase some of Switzerland's engineering accomplishments, ABC reported. He held up the Guinness World Records certificate and stated that it had been extremely difficult to ensure the safety of such a lengthy train. 

The 25 trains had to accelerate and brake at the same moment, and the seven train drivers and 21 technicians were on board and had to make sure of it, Fasciati claimed. They were all "guided by the first... driver." 

Notably, few nations have a rail system as extensive as Switzerland, which is renowned for its on-time trains. The first rail service in the affluent Alpine nation began running on August 9, 1847, traveling 33 minutes over 23 kilometers from Zurich to Baden, ABC reported.  

Even though several freight trains are longer than 3 kilometers, the event on Saturday included the longest passenger train ever ran. The National Belgian Railway Company previously held the record with a 70-carriage train that was 1.7 kilometers long. 

(Image: Twitter/ @railsimulator)