About this journey

Cavaglià station sits on the Bernina line at an altitude well below the pass, marking the point where the route begins its long climb northward through the Engadin. The Bernina-Bahngesellschaft was established in 1905 to connect St. Moritz with Tirano via the Bernina Pass, with construction financed by the investors in Kraftwerke Brusio AG without cantonal subsidy. The line opened in stages from 1908, and the full route became operational on 5 July 1910. In 1943, after decades of financial difficulty, the Rhaetian Railway absorbed the company.

The Bernina line is metre gauge, operating on 1,000 V DC — a voltage raised from 750 V in 1935. Its summit at Ospizio Bernina reaches 2,253 metres above sea level, making it the highest adhesion railway in Europe, with gradients of up to 7%. Near the summit, the Lago Bianco dam — 15 m high and 283 m long — marks the watershed between the Danube and Po river basins. The journey ends at St. Moritz station, which stands at 1,775 m above sea level, the highest urban railway station in Switzerland. Shortly before arrival, the line passes through the Charnadüra-Tunnel II, at 689 m the longest tunnel on the entire route — a fitting close to a crossing defined throughout by its elevation and engineering ambition.