Glacier Express

The Glacier Express exiting a tunnel between Bergün and Preda in Graubünden

The Glacier Express's route through Switzerland

The Glacier Express from Zermatt to St. Moritz in Switzerland is one of the great train journeys in the world. It is not an "express" in the sense of being a high-speed train (it isn't) but rather in the sense that it provides a one-seat ride from end to end, even though the train travels over several different railroad lines; reputedly it is the slowest "express" in the world.

The trip on the Glacier Express is a 7½ hour railway journey across 291 bridges, through 91 tunnels and across the Oberalp Pass at 2,033 metres in altitude. The entire line is metre gauge, and large portions of it use a rack-and-pinion system both for ascending steep grades and to control the descent of the train on the back side of those grades.

The two railroad companies that cooperate to operate the Glacier Express are the Matterhorn-Gotthard Railway (formerly the Brig-Visp-Zermatt Railway and the Furka-Oberalp Railway) and the Rhaetian Railway.

Overseas tourists who have Eurail passes should be aware they can only ride the Glacier Express from St. Moritz to Disentis/Muster without additional private line tickets. Although the compulsory reservations for the entire route may be obtained through Rail Europe agents, the additional tickets must be bought beforehand, or at the Disentis/Muster station if they wish to ride that portion of the line. Eurail passes do offer a discount on the reservation fees, however. In 2006, the a 1st Class ticket from Disentis/Muster to Zermatt or v.v. was 130.00CHf, and a 2nd Class ticket was 75.00CHF.