The Rhaetian Railway is making sustainable history with the use of 100 percent regionally generated hydropower and preservation of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. What began in 1889 with the opening of the line from Landquart to Klosters is today a 384-kilometer network of lines in the middle of the Swiss high mountains. Just one year earlier, Graubünden railroad pioneers founded the narrow-gauge railroad Landquart-Davos AG on the initiative of the Dutchman Willem-Jan Holsboer, thus realizing their idea of a mountain railroad. Shortly after, the groundbreaking ceremony took place and in 1889 the railroad line Landquart - Klosters was opened. The foundation stone for today's route network of the Rhaetian Railway was thus laid. Only a quarter of a century later, almost the entire route network had been built. On it are an impressive 624 bridges, 115 tunnels and 102 stations.
From Chur, Switzerland's oldest city, across the ice of the glaciers to the palm trees: With the Bernina Express and the Glacier Express, the Rhaetian Railway has travel options that are known far beyond the borders of Switzerland. The Albula and Bernina lines - one third of the entire network of the Rhaetian Railway - have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage RhB since 2008.
Sharpened environmental profile
Increasing awareness of the environment and the need for climate protection measures is leading to - more or less consistent - changes in the economy and society. Tourism players are also faced with the challenge of adapting their offerings to the corresponding expectations of their guests. The Rhaetian Railway has taken this into account and since 2013 has been operating its trains with 100 percent regionally generated electricity from Grisons hydropower.
Its vision of sustainable resource and energy consumption also shapes the actions of the Rhaetian Railway alongside the railroads. These include dimmable and cleverly controlled LED lighting or point heating systems that switch on and off automatically based on weather data. The stations' recycling systems are another element of the sustainability efforts.
Responsibility for unique landscapes
To safeguard the future of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Rhaetian Railway wants to draw attention to the unique values of this asset. It also continues to push the use of the train as an environmentally friendly means of transport. During a journey on its way from the Upper Engadine down to Val Poschiavo, the Bernina Express passes the eternal ice of the glaciers. The Morteratsch Glacier Trail offers glaciology at first hand and allows visitors to experience the consequences of global warming with their own eyes.
Information and booking at www.rhb.ch.
Text: Peter Grett
Images:
Lead story and image 2: Rhätische Bahn, Erik Süsskind
Graphic: Rhaetian Railway
Image traffic circle: Rhaetian Railway, Peter Donatsch
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