Ospizio Bernina railway station explained

Style:Rhaetian Railway
Ospizio Bernina
Former:Bernina-Hospiz
Address:7710 Ospizio Bernina
Borough:Poschiavo
Country:Switzerland
Elevation:2253m (7,392feet)
Owned:Rhaetian Railway
Line:Bernina line
Distance:22.3km (13.9miles) from
Train Operators:Rhaetian Railway
Connections: PostAuto Schweiz
Architect:Nicolaus Hartmann (1912, 1925)
Zone:33 (Engadin Mobil)[1]
Passengers:280 per weekday[2]
Pass Year:2018
Mapframe:yes

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.[3]

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.[3] [4]

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.[4] [5]

Services

the following services stop at Ospizio Bernina:[6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Linien- und Zonenplan . de . Engadin Bus . 25 November 2023 . 16 December 2023.
  2. Web site: Passagierfrequenz . September 2019 . 8 August 2020 . Swiss Federal Railways.
  3. Maps of Switzerland . Swiss Confederation . map.geo.admin.ch . 27 August 2020.
  4. Web site: Candidature UNESCO World Heritage - Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Cultural Landscape . 73 . Rhaetian Railway . 27 August 2020.
  5. La Revue électrique, p. 525, 1911
  6. Web site: St. Moritz - Pontresina - Tirano . de . Bundesamt für Verkehr . 13 October 2023 . 16 December 2023.