Ospizio Bernina railway station

Ospizio Bernina railway station is a station on the Bernina line of the Rhaetian Railway. The station lies on the shores of Lago Bianco, near the Bernina Pass, between the Engadin and the valley of Poschiavo, in Graubünden. It is named after the hostel (historically, ospizio in Italian) that lies on the road pass, 50 metres above the station. Administratively, the area belongs to the municipality of Poschiavo.^[1][4]

Ospizio Bernina
An ABe 8/12 at the station in 2011
General information
Location	7710 Ospizio Bernina Poschiavo Switzerland
Coordinates	46°24′31.536″N 10°1′10.920″E
Elevation	2,253 m (7,392 ft)[1]
Owned by	Rhaetian Railway
Line(s)	Bernina line
Distance	22.3 km (13.9 mi) from St. Moritz[1]
Train operators	Rhaetian Railway
Connections	PostAuto Schweiz[2]
Construction
Architect	Nicolaus Hartmann (1912, 1925)
Other information
Fare zone	33 (Engadin Mobil)[2]
History
Opened	5 July 1910 (1910-07-05)
Previous names	Bernina-Hospiz
Passengers
2018	280 per weekday[3]
Services
Preceding station Rhaetian Railway Following station Bernina Lagalb towards St. Moritz RE 9 Alp Grüm towards Tirano R 19
Location

Ospizio Bernina, at an elevation of 2,253 metres above sea level, is both the highest station and highest point on the Bernina Railway and also on the entire Rhaetian Railway network. It is also the highest railway station in Graubünden and Eastern Switzerland. The Bernina Railway is notably the highest rail crossing in Europe. Hourly services in both direction operate on this line, throughout the year, despite harsh winter conditions.

The station has two principal through tracks, each served by a platform, together with several sidings. The station has a three-story stone-built station building and also includes several maintenance buildings. A notable feature is that the southern approach track to the station actually passes through one of these buildings, which also incorporates (on a different track) a covered turntable for use by the line's snowploughs, a transformer station and a dwelling house.^[1][4][5]

The railway station was opened with the completion of the line in 1910. The station building dates from the opening, but was extended and adopted its existing form in 1925. At the time of opening the elevation of the station was measured to be 2,256 metres, and this value is reflected in at least one original sign on the station.^[5][6]

The front of the station

Old time plate on the facade of the station

Lago Bianco and the Bernina line just south of the station

Services

As of the December 2023 timetable change,^[update] the following services stop at Ospizio Bernina:^[7]

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

References

1. Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz. Cologne: Schweers + Wall. 2012. p. 81. 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 27 August 2020.
5. "Candidature UNESCO World Heritage - Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Cultural Landscape" (PDF). Rhaetian Railway. p. 73. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
6. La Revue électrique, p. 525, 1911
7. "St. Moritz - Pontresina - Tirano" (PDF) (in German). Bundesamt für Verkehr. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.

External links

• Media related to Ospizio Bernina railway station at Wikimedia Commons
• Ospizio Bernina railway station – SBB
• Ospizio Bernina railway station – Rhaetian Railway