Nostalgia or luxury: New rail boom offers

in the Kursaal In Berne on 12. November 20. The Milestones were the most important Swiss Tourism awards. Successfully implemented innovative tourism projects will be awarded. The aim is to promote Switzerland as a Destination, to transfer Knowledge and to support the tourism economy. "Young", "life's work" and "Premiere" is the name of the categories, wherein the 2018 inaugural "Milestone Premiere" a project with a particularly original, surprising or bold approach should be recognised.

The main prize but is awarded for tourism innovation. Prize winners can be institutions and organizations, destinations, Transport, catering or Accommodation facilities. Railway companies currently particularly innovative: Among the eight projects, which has put the Jury on the Shortlist of this year's innovation award, there are two special rail offers a luxury and a "free": The Glacier Express from Zermatt to St. Moritz is nominated because of its new "Excellence Class", the Rhaetian railway for a historic train that runs in the summer according to schedule and without extra cost from Davos Platz to Filisur.

Gery Nievergelt, editor-in-chief of the "htr hotel revue", and responsible for Switzerland's tourism price Milestone is convinced that the climate debate at the decision to nominate the two offers, I played a minor role. The decisive factor is the quality. "Not least thanks to the Swiss Travel Pass rail journeys through Switzerland are also in the case of tourists becoming increasingly popular. It is, of course, an additional incentive, if such a attractive, innovative deals are available," said Nievergelt.

outside of this exclusive list of potential winners, there are examples of particularly interesting train journeys in Switzerland, some of which only thanks to the efforts of enthusiastic Volunteers have come into being.

excellence in the Glacier Express

The Glacier Express in Hospental in the Canton of Uri. Photo: PD

With the "Excellence Class" has created the Glacier Express, which is already since 1930, on the tracks of the Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn and the rhätische Bahn on the way, for the first Time in the Swiss rail transport is a Premium product, comparable to Business Class in-flight: guests will be greeted on the platform and during the whole eight-hour train ride from Concierge care. You have guaranteed window seats and get on a Tablet a lot of tips along the way. Champagne, a 5-course menu will be served with accompanying wines, coffee and other beverages, and there is a Bar, exclusively for you, on Board of a "Glacier". For the ride in the Lounge Chair across 291 bridges and through 91 tunnels, you pay to the first-class ticket for a surcharge of 420 francs per Person – if you can get hold of courts: The "Excellence Class", which runs between March and October, was fully booked on the 2019 are often for the long term.
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nostalgia for the Rhaetian railway every Day between may and October, four historic trains to replace the 25-km-long route from Davos-Platz to Filisur the standard trains of the RhB. The compositions consist of partly more than 100 years old, nostalgic car in the 1 car. and 2. Class and open-air observation car. Drawn from the legendary "crocodile"locomotive, which has been in operation since 1929. The journey into the past, by the wild trains in the gorge and on the Wiesn viaduct, takes 40 minutes and is designed to have the normal ticket price. Sharp increase in frequencies to confirm the success of the project.
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Belle Époque in the Bernese Oberland

In this car, it travels like yesteryear. Photo: PD

The part of gentle, lush green hills, partly rough mountain landscape, between the Bernese Oberland and lake Geneva you can experience for more than a hundred years ago in trains of the MOB, the Companie du chemin de fer Montreux Oberland Bernois. In the modern panorama of the gold pass Panoramique car, called"", has a particularly generous view of the mountains. But in the last few years, you can also travel as in the best track times: A train with First - and Second-class cars in the style of the Belle Époque, the legendary Orient Express, inspired, and moving the wine cellar to the time of Agatha Christie and Hercule Poirots resurrected. Only the culinary offer ("on reservation we serve a cold meal on the square") can't meet the demands completely.
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heritage Railways in the Jura On the metre gauge railway network of the Jura regional railway Chemins de Fer du Jura (CJ) over the wide plateau of the free mountains and the adjacent valleys run in the summer months, since a quarter of a century, three historic trains according to a fixed timetable. The Depot and the rolling stock, a restored steam locomotives and historic railway, belong to the limited company La Traction SA. A of the same name of the Association organized the volunteers who operate the trains and maintain. The CJ for sales and Marketing. In the Rest of the CJ to complement the tourist railway offering a nostalgic train, which is driven by an electric drive, the former Tramelan-Breuleux-Le Noirmont-car railway from 1913. At all three terminals, in Glovelier (JU), La Chaux-de-Fonds (NE) and Tavannes (BE), there are connections to the network of the SBB.
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With steam on the Furka pass

the Association has facilitated the travel of this locomotive. Photo: PD

This path should not give it actually does: In the Winter of 1981, the railway was operating on the Furka mountain route between the Valais and Uri to set, because the base tunnel was opened. But railway enthusiasts have prevented the planned demolition. They founded the Verein Furka-bergstrecke (VFB) with about 8000 members and as a company, the steam railway Furka-bergstrecke AG (DFB), which is now a federally licensed mountain railway.