The longest journey from west to east: La Plaine to Scuol What is the best way to grasp the true scope of the Swiss rail network? We chose to make the longest possible journey from west to east. This 461-kilometre trip links La Plaine (GE) to the Scuol-Tarasp station in Grisons, where the line ends. Our journey began in the early hours of the morning at the small station that marks the last stop before France. From Geneva to Brig, the train bound for Venice raced past. In Brig, the red cars of the Glacier Express were filled with tourists from all over the world. The journey to Chur via the Oberalp Pass, at an altitude of over 2,000 metres, seemed to flash by. We shared a table with a couple from Atlanta and an IT specialist from India. The former spoke of “unreliable” American trains, while the latter bemoaned “overcrowded” trains in his homeland. We changed trains in Chur bound for Landquart. From there, the train headed south-east and then east, gliding through the long Veraina tunnel. We passed through the Müstair valley, where castles perch on towering peaks and villages have lilting names like Sagliains, Lavin, Guarda and Ardez. In Scuol-Tarasp, the arrival announcement was made in Romansh. After our 10-hour journey, it felt like we had arrived in another country. (SH) STÉPHANE HERZOG The Swiss tend to think they are unique. When it comes to rail travel, which celebrated its 175th anniversary in Switzerland in August, they are right. Switzerland’s rail network is the densest in the world. The number of trains is increasing to meet the demands of a growing population, and they are becoming faster, enabling longer journeys. The technical quality of the Swiss rail network, its beauty, and its stunning routes through the Alps attract tourists from all over the world. This uniqueness also results in unusual competitions, such as the Swiss Train Challenge, which aims to travel through 26 cantons in under 24 hours. This can be accomplished with a simple day pass, available from your municipality for just 44 Swiss francs. In 2015, a journalist from the RTS television network completed the feat in 19 hours and 46 minutes. His team relied on the calculations of Philippe Morf, a traffic planner from the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). In 2016, a group of four young people from Ticino took up the challenge, completing it in 17 hours and 19 minutes. The team was able to rely on flawless connections, in a country where 91.9 percent of trains are on time, according to the SBB. A challenge for passionate doctoral students In 2018, a German and a French doctoral student from EPFL threw their hats into the ring. “If we wanted to beat the record time, we knew we would have to bring out the big guns,” agree Dirk Lauinger and Emmanuel Clédat. The two scientists used an algorithm paired with a geographic information system. The algorithm was run on a desktop computer and delivered its results after ten days of calculations, proposing a route that could be completed in 16 hours and 54 minutes. The actual implementation did not go to plan, however, due to a series of delays. What’s more, the route included a 3.7 km ride on a PubliBike from Schaffhausen to Thurgau that Switzerland has the world’s densest rail network Switzerland’s trains are becoming faster and more frequent while offering a record number of connections. The 175-year-old network shapes the way people live. Several challenging competitions shine a spotlight on this railway phenomenon. became impossible since the rental bikes were out of order! The former EPFL researchers explain that they embarked on this adventure due to their passion for trains in general and the Swiss railway in particular. “It’s a political statement in favour of a reliable and decentralised rail network,” Higher, farther, faster, more beautiful? In search of somewhat unconventional Swiss records This edition: on the densest rail network in the world. Swiss Review / December 2022 / No.6 20 Report
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