DRTravelling by rail over and through the Swiss Alps has never been so luxurious. In the new Excellence Class, passengers enjoy the very best of comfort and, thanks to a guaranteed window seat, the best possible views. Everyone is treated to personal service and culinary highlights from the on-board kitchen. Passengers travel across 291 bridges and through 91 tunnels on comfortable lounge chairs on the eight-hour journey between St. Moritz and Zermatt. If they need a change of scenery, they can treat themselves to a drink in the Glacier Bar.
Back on its maiden trip in 1930, the pioneers of the Glacier Express compiled the very best in rolling stock for the trip between the Matterhorn and the Engadin. Since then, the slowest express train has become one of the most well-known and popular adventure trains in the world. Millions of passengers have already discovered the Swiss Alps in an impressive and comfortable fashion aboard the Glacier Express. “The new challenges presented by digitalisation, fewer bookings through traditional channels and the abolition of flat rate tax meant that at Matterhorn Gotthard Railway and Rhaetian Railway we had to give serious consideration to how we were going to make the Glacier Express fit for the future,” says Isidor Baumann, President, Glacier Express AG. The foundation of the independent Glacier Express AG in 2017 was just the first step in this process. From March 2, the Excellence Class will set new standards, satisfying passengers’ demands for experience, service and quality.
“Passengers were constantly asking us for a luxury offer with personal service in the most legendary panoramic train in Switzerland,” explains Fernando Lehner, Managing Director, Matterhorn Gotthard Railway. But this kind of product brings with it a whole new set of requirements, particularly in terms of the interior of the coaches, the catering concept and the service. In 2016, experts from both railways, together with the design agency Nose, started to develop drafts and plans to satisfy precisely these high demands. The plans were then brought to life in the Rhaetian Railway workshops in Landquart. The result: two new coaches that are ringing in a new era for the Glacier Express. “We are proud of the work we carried out together with Matterhorn Gotthard Railway and of all our employees who spent countless hours creating a coach that is going to set new standards,” says Renato Fasciati, Director, Rhaetian Railway.
Now it is the job of Glacier Express AG and Panoramic Gourmet AG, both subsidiaries of Rhaetian Railway and Matterhorn Gotthard Railway, to create this new top-class travel experience and position it in the relevant markets. “It’s an exciting challenge,” agree Annemarie Meyer and Tim Uebersax, the managing directors of the two companies. “The Excellence Class not only has the potential of getting new and different passengers on board the Glacier Express, but also ensures there will be more focus on the Glacier Express, with the brand gaining in presence.” In the tourism sector, in which today most travellers find out information anonymously and book their tickets online, these are two central factors for the important evaluation of offers and services as well as positive comments and feedback.
