The Rhaetian Railway brings together two historic railway lines that cross the Swiss Alps. The Albula line, which opened in 1904, runs along a 38-mile path that includes 42 tunnels and covered galleries, as well as 144 viaducts and bridges. The Bernina line, which opened in 1908, runs a similar distance with 13 tunnels and galleries, and 52 viaducts and bridges. The Rhaetian Railway represents exemplary architectural techniques, harmonizing public transport works with the landscapes through which they pass. Promoting trade and cultural exchange, the lines helped overcome the isolation of settlements in the Central Alps, shaping in major and enduring ways life in these mountains.
—Prepared by the World Tribune staff
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