The World's Longest Passenger Train: Innovation Inspired by the Alps

A super-long passenger train composed of 100 carriages and featuring 4,550 seats weaves through the switchbacks of the Swiss Alps like a "snake", completing a 24-kilometer journey with a vertical drop of 790 meters. The route passes through 22 tunnels (including complex ones winding through mountain bodies) and 48 bridges, with the iconic curved Landwasser Viaduct standing out against the UNESCO World Heritage landscape (designated in 2008). This spectacle perfectly embodies the innovative fusion of railway engineering and natural topography.

Built by the Rhaetian Railway (RhB), the train’s core power stems from the efficient design of ABB’s Bordline traction converters. Through an energy management system precisely adapted to mountainous terrain, these components save RhB 900 megawatt-hours of electricity annually, embedding environmental principles deep into the technical breakthrough of its super-long formation. Confronting the challenges of drastic altitude changes and navigating a 4.5-kilometer train body through curved tunnels, the locomotive stands as a model of "dynamic architecture" in railway engineering, relying on optimized bogie flexibility and advanced control systems.

This innovation roots in Switzerland’s century-long dedication to rail transport. To commemorate the 175th anniversary of the country’s first train system, the Swiss rail industry drew inspiration from the Alpine terrain’s rugged beauty, centering on "engineering achievements" to achieve seamless coordination of a hundred carriages through technological breakthroughs. This "landscape-driven innovation" model has not only positioned Switzerland among nations with the highest rail density globally but also nurtured a unique transportation culture where "trains become part of the landscape."

As the train glides past glacial meltwater and coniferous forests, its winding path and the geometric lines of the Landwasser Viaduct form a harmonious dialogue—both a tribute to natural wonders and a symbol of human ingenuity conquering the mountains.