Bernina Railway

The Bernina Railway (Berninalinie; Linea del Bernina; Lingia dal Bernina) is a single-track railway line forming part of the Rhaetian Railway (RhB). It links the spa resort of St. Moritz, in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland, with the town of Tirano, in the Province of Sondrio, Italy, via the Bernina Pass. Reaching a height of above sea level, it is the highest railway crossing in Europe and the third-highest railway in Switzerland. It also ranks as the highest adhesion railway of the continent, and - with inclines of up to 7% - as one of the steepest adhesion railways in the world. The elevation difference on the section between the Bernina Pass and Tirano is , allowing passengers to view glaciers along the line. On 7 July 2008, the Bernina Railway and the Albula Railway, which also forms part of the RhB, were recorded in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, under the name Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes. The whole site is a cross-border joint Swiss-Italian heritage area. Trains operating on the Bernina Railway include the Bernina Express. In the year following the completion of the Albula Railway in 1904, the Bernina-Bahngesellschaft (BB) was established, with the objective of opening a railway line between St Moritz and Tirano, via the Bernina Pass. Two requirements drove the planning; the need for access to hydro-electric plants on the south side of the Bernina pass, and the provision of access for tourists to tourist attractions of the high mountain area. The concession for the line was obtained in 1906, and the construction was financed by the investors in Kraftwerke Brusio AG, the builders of the hydro-electric works, without the aid of cantonal subsidy. The line opened from onwards, in several sections: on 1 July 1908 between Pontresina and Morteratasch, and between Tirano and Poschiavo; on 18 August of the same year between Pontresina and Celerina; and on 1 July 1909 between Celerina and St Moritz, and between Morteratsch and Bernina Suot.