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At simply over 35 miles, the Gotthard base tunnel is the world’s longest railway tunnel. When it opened in 2016, there was hypothesis as to the destiny of the previous Gotthard railway by way of the Swiss Alps. It’s a steeply graded, sinuous line; it skirts Lake Lucerne after which cuts below the St Gotthard Massif to succeed in the Ticino valley which drains south in the direction of Italy.
Fortunately, the choice of Swiss rail operator Südostbahn (SOB) to step in with a brand new practice service on the legacy line has breathed recent life right into a traditional rail route. The primary trains from Basel by way of the previous Gotthard line, proper by way of to Locarno, ran in April 2021. It’s an ideal north-south connection by way of the Alps, and one particularly nicely suited to travellers from the UK; Basel is probably the most accessible Swiss metropolis by practice, taking simply seven hours from London with a simple change of practice in Paris or, on some companies, Paris and Strasbourg.
Basel is by the railway, though the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung, who spent many childhood years in and across the metropolis, remarked that when it got here to railways his residence city was a spot of a number of personalities. In Jung’s day there was the Swiss station (now often known as Basel SBB), the German station and the French station. It’s nonetheless a lot the identical, though the French station is absolutely little greater than a down-at-heel annex of the Swiss station. That part for French trains is usually referred to easily because the Westflügel (West Wing).
A practice with type
SOB’s copper-hued Treno Gottardo to Locarno waits at Platform 6 at Basel SBB. That is no grand intercity practice, however a modest Interregio linking key Swiss areas, with many stops alongside the way in which. For the Treno Gottardo meaning 20 stops on the 4½-hour journey to Locarno. There are sooner routes from Basel to the Ticino area – the modern high-speed trains sprint by way of the brand new Gotthard base tunnel – however who needs to overlook the Alpine surroundings by travelling by way of a really lengthy tunnel?
We slip out of Basel, swapping densely settled suburbs at Liestal for the forested hills across the Homburger valley after which dive into the Hauenstein tunnel. Rising into the sunshine, the Treno Gottardo makes a theatrical loop, crossing the River Aare to succeed in the primary cease at Olten. From right here it’s a quick hop south to Lucerne, nevertheless it’s a second to notice the good design which underpins the enchantment of the Treno Gottardo.
SOB’s introduction of fashionable Stadler Traverso trains prior to now few years has introduced actual aptitude to this new route. Inventive seating preparations, beneficiant house and huge panorama home windows make these Traverso trains good for a delicate rail cruise by way of the Alps. Few travellers make the total 180-mile journey from finish to finish. This can be a practice which is used primarily for journeys between communities alongside the route: Olten, Lucerne, Bellinzona, and villages within the higher a part of the Ticino valley which depend on the Treno Gottardo as their principal public transport hyperlink with the broader world. It’s the mixture of travellers which provides character to journeys on the Treno Gottardo.
Shaping the nation
Two hours into the journey, we now have slipped by the Rigi massif, handed the Lauerzersee and are cruising alongside the east shore of the Urner See – the totally stunning southernmost limb of Lake Lucerne. Throughout the water there’s a high-quality view of the meadows at Rütli, the place representatives of Switzerland’s three founding cantons allegedly met to swear an oath of allegiance. On the far facet of the lake a rocky plinth bears an inscription acknowledging Friedrich Schiller because the Bard of Inform. Schiller’s Wilhelm Inform and Rossini’s opera on the identical theme sealed this uppermost a part of Lake Lucerne because the cradle of Swiss id.
All the Gotthard railway, which was accomplished in 1882, was central to Swiss nation-building. This daring route by way of the Excessive Alps underpinned Switzerland’s declare to being a pure mediator on the coronary heart of Europe. By the mid-Eighteen Eighties, Switzerland was dubbed Gotthard Nation. The illustrious guidebook writer Baedeker praised the Gotthard railway as “one of many grandest achievements of recent engineering.” And that demonstration of engineering prowess turned central to Swiss self-understanding as a progressive, trendy nation.
Past Flüelen, on the finish of the Urnersee, the practice climbs up the Reuss valley, performing neat pirouettes by way of round tunnels, alongside the way in which affording three completely different views on the good-looking Roman Catholic church at Wassen. Göschenen, on the northern portal of the unique Gotthard tunnel, makes a very good cease for a few hours. On the station there may be an exhibition on the Gotthard route, and it’s a simple stroll into the village, which has an unkempt allure. Past the tunnel at Göschenen – fortunately, at 9 miles, a lot shorter than the brand new Base tunnel – the Treno Gottardo descends by way of quick spiral loops into the vineyards and chestnut groves of the Ticino valley.
This panoramic journey alongside the traditional Gotthard line is neck-craning stuff, chasing the views because the practice twists and turns. However peak recognizing isn’t compulsory and, having travelled the route many instances, I typically now simply sit again and let the panorama evolve. This route is pure cinema. And it’s a very good deal extra comfy nowadays than within the pre-railway period; when the Welsh chronicler Adam of Usk crossed the Gotthard in an ox cart within the early fifteenth century, he was so terrified that he travelled blindfolded.
The journey ends at Locarno on the shores of Lake Maggiore. You might wish to hop straight again on the practice for the return run, however elegant Locarno warrants a few days. From right here, my favorite route south into Italy is with the seasonal boat service down Lake Maggiore to the Borromean Islands and Stresa, from the place there’s a very good practice service to Milan.
Journey notes
The Treno Gottardo leaves Basel each two hours for Locarno. For just a few weeks within the early summer season, engineering work will necessitate a change of practice at Olten, about half-hour into the journey. The absolutely versatile one-way fare from Basel to Locarno is 84 Swiss francs (£69). Cheaper restricted fares (no stopovers) from £25. The complete vary of versatile and discounted tickets will be booked on-line at sbb.ch (for one of the best fares in Swiss francs), or e-book at raileurope.com (sterling fares accessible, however notice there’s a £6.95 reserving price). If a part of an extended rail tour, an Interrail cross is the most suitable choice and presents most flexibility. Costs begin at £155 (€185) for a four-day cross, allaboard.eu. There’s additionally the Swiss rail pass with limitless journey on buses, funiculars, free entry to museums and boat journey in addition to trains (£229 for 4 days).
Nicky Gardner is co-author of Europe by Rail: The Definitive Guide, the seventeenth version of which was revealed in April 2022 (accessible from the Guardian Bookshop for £16.52)
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