The alpine obstacle course
The secret of the Taktfahrplan
Engineering the impossible
The art of Swiss punctuality
lara Time alpine train departures to discover how Switzerland turned punctuality into a national art.
lara Early railway builders battled avalanches and vertical drops to keep tracks flat enough for heavy steam locomotives.
Which natural hazard forced early Swiss railway builders to construct heavy stone galleries over the tracks?
lara These private railways prevented Switzerland from being bypassed by major European trade routes.
Which Swiss bank was founded by Alfred Escher in 1856 specifically to finance the country's railway system?
Why did Alfred Escher believe Switzerland urgently needed its own rail network in the 1850s?
Alpine trains: The Bernina Express is so steep it climbs 1,824 meters without using a gear-toothed rack railway, using tight loops instead.
In which year was the original 15-kilometer Gotthard Rail Tunnel officially opened to traffic?