At 3.35 pm it was time. On Saturday, the longest passenger train in the world at 1910 meters passed the Landwasser Viaduct – and the Rhaetian Railway set the world record in the Guinness Book.
The spectacular journey on the almost two-kilometre train on the UNESCO-awarded Albula and Bernina line of the Rhaetian Railway has delighted railway enthusiasts worldwide. The world record is going around the world this weekend! CNN reported an “epic world record attempt that pushed the boundaries of what was possible”.
The author is delighted that the world record has been set with a narrow gauge track on such a demanding route and commends “the incredible performance of the RhB on October 29”, which is a “hugely impressive demonstration of the Swiss’ world-class competence in the field of railway technology”.
“Writing railway history”
The “Bild” is also enthusiastic: “This train made history!” is one of the captions among the spectacular photos. “Thousands of train enthusiasts cheered along the route for the approximately 25-kilometer record journey.” The “Spiegel” praises: “A train almost two kilometers long, a beautiful route and fantastic weather: with these ingredients the Rhaetian Railway in Switzerland has written railway history.”
The “Frankfurter Allgemeine” calls the train “monster train”, but is also criticized by a local newspaper. And says what the world record is for: “The entry in the Guinness Book of Records should attract more tourists to the Rhaetian Railway after difficult years.” The Daily Mail speaks of “Swiss perfection”, and numerous international media published the agency’s report with the spectacular photos.
Photos went as far as South Africa and Beijing
Thousands of railway enthusiasts watched the spectacle along the route. There was also a public viewing at the Swiss embassy in Beijing. “China loves trains,” said Ambassador Jürg Burri (57). Thanks to the Swiss embassy, the images also went viral in China. Because in addition to the embassy party with invited guests, the photos were also streamed on Weibo, the main Chinese social media platform – where the Swiss embassy has 300,000 followers.
The RhB world record was Blick TV’s largest production since its foundation in February 2020. In collaboration with the production house NEP, 55 people made the live broadcast possible. 19 cameras provided exclusive images – including in and on the train, on mountain tops and from a helicopter.
The recordings were taken over and broadcast by SRF, but also by international broadcasters such as ARD, the South African news channel eNCA and the AP news agency. (ct)