A hundred coaches, 25 sections, 2-kilometre length — that’s a train that has just claimed to be the world’s longest passenger rake. The train made its maiden trip along a scenic route through the Alps Saturday, said the Swiss railway company that operated it.
Rhaetian Railway ran the 1.9-km-long train from Preda to Berguen along the Albula/Bernina route — one of the most spectacular tracks. Composed of 100 coaches and 25 separable multiple-unit trains of the latest type, ‘Capricorn’, the train ran through 22 tunnels and across 48 bridges, including the curved Landwasser Viaduct, on the mountainous route that was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008.
The weight of the train was around 2,990 tonnes.
The journey covering 25-odd kilometres took over an hour, the company said, adding that railway enthusiasts queued up along the valley to watch the 25-section train wind its way through the serpentine route.
The company claimed that Guinness World Record officially confirmed the success of the world record was on the site.
The record attempt aimed to highlight some of Switzerland’s engineering achievements, and also to celebrate 175 years of Swiss railways, Rhaetian Railway director Renato Fasciati said.
Seven train drivers and 21 technicians worked on the train to ensure its operability, Rhaetian Railway said in the release.
30 KMPH Speed, Can Run Even When It Snows
The lead driver of the train was Andreas Kramer, according to the Rhaetian Railway website. He has been with the company since 2010 and is responsible for testing and commissioning its trains.
There were two trial runs in April and May. Kramer was, however, worried if the world record attempt would be successful.
“The question at the back of all our minds is: ‘Will it really work?’ – the coupling of the 25 compositions, I mean. We haven’t been able to test much in advance…,” the website quoted him as saying.
Talking about the challenges, he said: “...getting the 25 four-carriage Capricorn formations up to the Albula tunnel is a logistical feat.” The train was assembled at the Albula tunnel on the night of October 29. Kramer said it required detailed planning, and crucial communication between the seven train drivers, including him, on the day of the journey.
The train ran at a speed of 30 kmph. Kramer said they could go faster but did not because "we don’t want to feed more than 30% electric braking power back into the overhead catenary grid".
"Every train that goes down an incline generates electricity. In our case, a lot of electricity. So we have to limit it, otherwise the fuse or the overhead catenary would literally burn right through," he explained.
Kramer said the train can run smooth even if there is now, but "natural hazards such as sudden gusts of wind felling trees, etc" could be a concern.