2023-11-08 08:09:11
The passenger is very excited. She keeps getting up and going from window to window. And shouts: “Just look, you can already see the bridge! Oh, how steep it is down there! Now there’s a tunnel, how many of them is that?” Your travel companion hums absently and reads his book without looking up. The couple is typical of travelers on the Centovalli Railway: for some it is the most beautiful train route in the world, for others it is just a rail connection.
If the man had paid more attention to his wife and the means of transport, he would have noticed that the route leads over 83 bridges and through 31 tunnels and overcomes an altitude of 1,100 meters. He would have seen a lot to the left and right of the tracks that wind through southern Switzerland and a corner of Italy. It is thanks to people like this passenger that the Centovallibahn is one of the underrated panoramic routes in the Alps – and fortunately it is not overcrowded.
Specifically, it is an electrified narrow-gauge railway with a track width of 1000 millimeters. It has been moving through the area at a maximum of 60 kilometers per hour for a century; the opening was celebrated in November 1923. Nevertheless, it provides a quick connection between Ticino and Valais, between the Simplon and Gotthard passes, and between Locarno and Domodossola.
Source: Infographic WELT
Anyone who gets on board in Locarno first drives through the Swiss Centovalli, the landscape of a hundred valleys. From Camedo, the border town, the train continues through the Valle Vigezzo, the train name changes from Centovallina to Vigezzina, and the river next to the route changes gender with the border: the Melezza is now called the Melezzo.
Planning the Centovalli Railway was complicated
Actually, the Centovalli Railway could be much older than 100 years. Francesco Balli had already applied to the Swiss Federal Council in 1898 for a concession for a railway line – the progressive mayor of Locarno wanted to connect his city with Italy and, in a second step, connect the line to the Gotthard Railway.
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But it took a while for Locarno to become a local hub for the new means of transport. The planning was complicated because the route from Locarno to the west does not lead comfortably along the shores of Lake Maggiore, but runs straight through a mountain landscape that is difficult to access.
In addition to the geological ones, there were also bureaucratic hurdles to overcome; after all, several cantons and states with various authorities were involved. Construction work finally began in 1913, but was stopped in the middle of the First World War. It wasn’t until 1921 that there was money back in the bag for the project. The line was completed on March 27, 1923: the Swiss and Italians had laid 51.25 kilometers of track. On November 25, 1923, the first train traveled the entire route.
Fantastic views: The Centovallibahn passes Ponte Brolla in Ticino
Quelle: picture alliance / Raigro / Timeline Images
Today the journey begins under Locarno’s bustling station forecourt. The Centovallina originally started as a tram above ground on the Piazza Grande in Locarno. The narrow-gauge station has been underground since 1990 and the first 2.8 kilometers of the route run in a tunnel to San Martino. From Ponte Brolla, where Centovalli and Maggiatal branch out, the panorama from the train window is fantastic. Climbers hang from boulders in the riverbed. The mountain slopes stretch steeply towards the sky.
The journey towards Intragna is spectacular. At 65.75 meters, Intragna has the highest campanile in Ticino – it would easily fit under the Isorno railway bridge built in 1915 at the entrance to the town, which is 82 meters high. Behind Intragna begins the actual Centovalli, a largely deserted area, a hundred valleys of solitude. The route becomes increasingly curvy. Thanks to the narrow gauge, the little train can also handle narrow radii and tilts, sometimes to the left and sometimes to the right, with a loud squeak.
A highlight for fans of the railway
The Centovallina runs international traffic in both directions, sometimes with old-fashioned train sets; In addition, regional trains run to the border. New trains are scheduled to replace the old ones at the end of 2023. Unfortunately, the narrow-gauge railway no longer stops at many stations. In some, a stop request button still brings the train to a stop.
Wonderfully old-fashioned: a look into a Centovallibahn train from 1963
Those: picture alliance/KEYSTONE/Pablo Gianinazzi
But in Ribellasca, the first – or, depending on your perspective, last – town on the Italian side, the trains rush through, as well as in Dissimo. Just get off somewhere and walk to the nearest train station? Unfortunately, this is hardly possible anymore. The commuters, on the other hand, are happy about it because the train is a little faster.
“Look, a lake!” shouts the aforementioned passenger at Palagnedra, still visibly enthusiastic. Surrounded by dark green forests, the route stretches towards the border. On the Italian side, the main valley widens into a kind of plateau. In the village of Re we pass the massive, modern pilgrimage church and continue to Trontano. Here you can see the plain of Domodossola far down in the Toce valley.
More tips for special train journeys:
But there is another treat for rail enthusiasts. The Centovallibahn virtually plunges into the valley on this section. The route becomes increasingly steep, reaching a maximum gradient of 60 per mille and narrow serpentine radii of 50 meters. As far as Domodossola, where the train disappears into the underground station, train lovers can enjoy the most wonderful continuous squeaking.
The whole journey takes around one hour 50 minutes, ticket price from 20 euros, reservation fee four euros, panoramic train surcharge 1.50 euros (vigezzinacentovalli.com).
⇒ Other narrow-gauge railways in the Alps:
Glacier Express, Switzerland
The Glacier Express is one of the most attractive Alpine routes: on the tracks of the Rhaetian Railway and the Matterhorn-Gotthard Railway, it connects St. Moritz with Zermatt. The word “express” is a joke, because the train takes eight hours to cover the 291 kilometers!
Particularly sought after: the seats in the panorama car of the Glacier Express
Quelle: Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
After all, the journey is varied, after all there are 291 bridges and 91 tunnels to pass, the route leads over the 2033 meter high Oberalp Pass, through the Rhine Gorge and over the Albula route with the magnificent Landwasser Viaduct. No wonder that the seats in the panoramic carriage are among the most popular (glacierexpress.chTicket St. Moritz–Zermatt ab 159 Franken).
Rittner Bahn, South Tyrol
The Bahnl, as the Rittner Bahn is also called by the South Tyroleans, started out as a tram in 1907: It started in Bolzano on Waltherplatz, from the Rittner train station a cogwheel locomotive pushed the train up the mountain, at the top the Bahnl then continued on comfortably from there Oberbozen to Klobenstein.
Museum-ready: Rittner Bahn railcar from the 70s
Quelle: picture alliance / Johanna Hoelzl
Today we take a cable car up to the Ritten. But South Tyrol’s only narrow-gauge railway continues to run on the mountain plateau high above Bolzano. All year round, the almost twelve kilometer long route goes back and forth, with a top speed of 30, some with museum-quality railcars (ritten.com/de/1202-rittner-bahnsingle ticket 3.50 euros).
Mariazellerbahn, Austria
At 84 kilometers, Austria’s longest narrow-gauge railway runs through the Dirndl Valley. That doesn’t mean that all women here wear traditional costume – the name comes from the cornelian cherry, which is called dirndl in the local dialect. The journey goes from St. Pölten in Lower Austria to Mariazell in Styria; The place of pilgrimage was so popular that a special train route was opened in 1907.
Originally built for pilgrims: the Mariazellerbahn
Quelle: picture alliance / Lothar Ferstl
It leads through the 2,369 meter long Gösing Tunnel and over the Saugraben Viaduct. Modern trains are in use, but there are also panoramic cars and occasionally even a steam train (mariazellerbahn.atday ticket 39.20 euros).
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In order to display embedded content, your revocable consent to the transmission and processing of personal data is necessary, as the providers of the embedded content require this consent as third party providers [In diesem Zusammenhang können auch Nutzungsprofile (u.a. auf Basis von Cookie-IDs) gebildet und angereichert werden, auch außerhalb des EWR]. By setting the switch to “on”, you agree to this (revocable at any time). This also includes your consent to the transfer of certain personal data to third countries, including the USA, in accordance with Art. 49 (1) (a) GDPR. You can find more information about this. You can revoke your consent at any time using the switch and privacy at the bottom of the page.
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