World's longest passenger train measuring 1.2 miles breaks record in Swiss Alps, railway claims

Camille Fine, USA TODAY
·1 min read
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The world's longest passenger train completed a spectacular, world record-setting journey in the Swiss Alps, a railway company announced.

The 1.2-mile-long train with 100 coaches ventured 15.5 miles on Saturday through mountains, tunnels and across bridges to claim the record for the world's longest passenger train, Swiss railway company Rhaetian Railway said in a statement.

Seven train drivers and 21 technicians operated the train as it rode from the Albula Tunnel in Preda to the Landwasser Viaduct just outside Filisur along the famous Albula-Bernina route, a UNESCO World Heritage designation, ending in Bergün.

The previous record was set in Belgium by the National Belgian Railway Company in 1991, according to Euro News.

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Several thousand people lined up to watch the train’s 25 railcars twist and turn through the winding Alps in a journey that took over an hour. The train crossed 48 bridges and went through 22 tunnels. UNESCO said the historic railway is an "outstanding technical, architectural and environmental ensemble and embodies architectural and civil engineering achievements, in harmony with the landscapes through which they pass."

The world record attempt marked 175 years of Swiss railways.

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A train of the Rhaetian Railway (RHB) is on its way to set a world record for longest passenger train, on Saturday, October 29, 2022, in Preda, Switzerland.
A train of the Rhaetian Railway (RHB) is on its way to set a world record for longest passenger train, on Saturday, October 29, 2022, in Preda, Switzerland.
Cyclists watch as a train with 100 cars passes near Bergun, Switzerland, on October 29, 2022, during a record attempt by the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) of the World's longest passenger train, to mark the Swiss railway operator's 175th anniversary.
Cyclists watch as a train with 100 cars passes near Bergun, Switzerland, on October 29, 2022, during a record attempt by the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) of the World's longest passenger train, to mark the Swiss railway operator's 175th anniversary.
A train with 100 cars passes by in Bergun, Switzerland, on October 29, 2022.
A train with 100 cars passes by in Bergun, Switzerland, on October 29, 2022.
Members of the public capture images as a 1910-metre-long train with 100 cars passes the Landwasser Viaduct, after Bergun, on October 29, 2022, during a record attempt by the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) of the World's longest passenger train, to mark the Swiss railway operator's 175th anniversary. - The record attempt is carried out on the Albula Line, from Preda to Thusis, crossing one of the most spectacular railways in the world, recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
A train of the Rhaetian Railway set a world record for longest passenger train on Saturday, October 29, 2022, in Berguen, Switzerland.
A train of the Rhaetian Railway set a world record for longest passenger train on Saturday, October 29, 2022, in Berguen, Switzerland.
A train of the Rhaetian Railway set a world record for longest passenger train on Saturday, October 29, 2022, in Preda, Switzerland.
A train of the Rhaetian Railway set a world record for longest passenger train on Saturday, October 29, 2022, in Preda, Switzerland.
A train with 100 cars passes by in Bergun, Switzerland, on October 29, 2022, during a record attempt by the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) of the world's longest passenger train to mark the Swiss railway operator's 175th anniversary.
A train with 100 cars passes by in Bergun, Switzerland, on October 29, 2022, during a record attempt by the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) of the world's longest passenger train to mark the Swiss railway operator's 175th anniversary.

Camille Fine is a trending visual producer on USA TODAY's NOW team. 

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: World's longest passenger train breaks record in Swiss Alps journey