Bernina Express crew keep scenic journeys on track

The crew of the Bernina Express combine safety-critical work with spectacular views as the train travels from St Moritz to Tirano, SRF reports.

At 1,775 metres above sea level, locomotive driver Joshua Buchner prepares the train at St Moritz station. The Rhätische Bahn railway company train is named Carlo Janka, but the ski legend who gave it its name is not in the cab. Buchner looks through the locomotive’s wide windscreen while wearing mirrored sunglasses.

Further back, train attendant Andrea Neff checks fuses and other switching equipment in a control cabinet before the journey begins.

The Bernina Express passes the Morteratsch Glacier, crosses the Bernina Pass into the Puschlav Valley and runs alongside Lake Poschiavo. At Brusio, it crosses the famous circular viaduct before ending its journey in the Italian town of Tirano.

Passengers mainly see the landscape, Neff says, rather than the many tasks required on board. Her duties include managing pressure equalisation between carriages, issuing departure commands, answering passenger questions and carrying out final checks at the end of each trip. She also checks whether anyone has left anything behind before the train returns to Switzerland after a short break.

The scenery is also part of the appeal for the crew. Buchner recalls a stretch after Surovas where the train travels at 60 kilometres per hour across open land as the sun rises. Neff says the combination of mountains, glaciers and lakes is unique, with each type of weather giving the landscape a different character.

Operating the train requires more than moving a few levers. Bringing the train, which weighs well over 100 tonnes, to a smooth stop takes precision. Construction sites require high concentration, as does the descent to Tirano, where the train travels through the town. Buchner also recalls a winter journey with a freight train during heavy snowfall, when the train began to slip as he hoped it would still make it up the mountain.

The crew also face hazards outside the train. Buchner twice sounds the horn after hikers cross the tracks in front of the stationary train, warning that doing so is especially dangerous when another train is approaching.

The panoramic train, which is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, begins its return journey after the passengers leave in Tirano.