Morteratsch railway station

Morteratsch railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Pontresina, in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It is located on the Bernina line of the Rhaetian Railway. The Morteratsch Glacier lies some 3 km (1.9 mi) to the south of the station and can be reached by a marked hiking trail.^[1][4]

Morteratsch
The station platform in 2012
General information
Location	Pontresina Switzerland
Coordinates	46°27′2.59214″N 9°56′25.47622″E
Elevation	1,896 m (6,220 ft)
Owned by	Rhaetian Railway
Line(s)	Bernina line
Distance	12.2 km (7.6 mi) from St. Moritz[1]
Train operators	Rhaetian Railway
Other information
Fare zone	31 (Engadin Mobil)[2]
History
Opened	1 July 1908 (1908-07-01)
Passengers
2018	460 per weekday[3]
Services
Preceding station Rhaetian Railway Following station Surovas towards St. Moritz RE 9 Bernina Suot towards Tirano R 19
Location

The station has a single through track and a single platform with a station building. There is a siding in the station, and a passing loop just outside the station in the northbound direction. In the southbound direction the line passes over the Ova da Morteratsch on a railway bridge immediately after the station platform, and then over the Ova da Bernina on a viaduct some 200 m (660 ft) later.^[1][4]

The Hotel-Restaurant Morteratsch, which adjoins the station to the north, predates the railway. When it was built it was very close to the tongue of the glacier, which has since receded due to global warming, and benefited from significant tourist traffic. As a result, the line from Pontresina was opened in 1908, and the station was the terminus of the line until the section over the Bernina pass was opened in 1910. Even then it was originally intended as the winter terminus of the line, with the line over the pass operating only during the summer months, a situation that continued until it was decided to open the line throughout starting with the winter of 1913/4.^[5]

A view facing north, with the station to the left, hotel centre, and railway bridge to the right

A view facing south along the Val Morteratsch towards the glacier, with the Ova da Morteratsch to the left

An ABe 8/12 Allegra entering the station over the bridge across the Ova da Morteratsch

Services

As of the December 2023 timetable change,^[update] the following services stop at Morteratsch:^[6]

• RegioExpress / Regio: hourly service between St. Moritz and Tirano.

References

1. Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz. Cologne: Schweers + Wall. 2012. p. 50. ISBN 978-3-89494-130-7.
2. "Linien- und Zonenplan" (PDF) (in German). Engadin Bus. 25 November 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
3. "Passagierfrequenz". Swiss Federal Railways. September 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
4. "Maps of Switzerland" (Map). map.geo.admin.ch. Swiss Confederation. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
5. "Candidature UNESCO World Heritage - Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Cultural Landscape" (PDF). Rhaetian Railway. p. 71. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
6. "St. Moritz - Pontresina - Tirano" (PDF) (in German). Bundesamt für Verkehr. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.

External links

• Media related to Morteratsch railway station at Wikimedia Commons
• Morteratsch railway station – Rhaetian Railway