POLCZER: Taking the tourist train to Switzerland, and how Alberta could ride it to Banff

ST. MORITZ, SWITZERLAND — It’s daybreak at the station in Tirano, Italy as the conductor calls the last boarding call for the Bernina Express to the historic alpine village of St. Moritz, about 2,000 metres above sea level in the Swiss Alps.My travelling companion and I are desperately late as we scramble to the platform with seconds to spare into our scenic coach on the sleek Rhaetian Ge 4/4 train, one of the world’s first fully electric locomotives powered by 1,000 volts of DC current, which is in turn generated by a hydroelectric substation some 7,000 feet above above sea level..It’s the highest train track in Europe and the steepest in the world, ascending almost 1,750 metres above the Bernina Pass past the glittering glacial Lago Blanco and the Morteratsch glacier, Switzerland’s version of the Columbia Icefields.The line, including 55 tunnels and 196 bridges is considered one of the engineering marvels of the modern world. So much in fact, the entire line itself — all 61 kilometres of it — was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008.Near the iconic Alp Grüm station, the Landwasser Viaduct marks the geographic, linguistic and cultural heart of Europe; its waters flow in four directions to the Black Sea in Instanbul, the Rhine in Germany, the Po in Italy and the Elbe to the Baltic.And by extension, geographically connecting the cultures and languages of continental Europe, starting with the Swiss Romansh dialect of Latin, French, German, Italian — and yes, Arabic once they reach Istanbul and the Straits of Constantinople.It served as a vital link for the St. Moritz Winter Olympic games in 1928 and again in 1948..Once on board, we’re offered an assortment of local cheeses, pastries, meats and local wine, including the traditional Röteli kirschwasser cherry liqueur, a local specialty of the region that was favoured by locomotive engineers and workers in the 1800s. It’s a fitting showcase of local agricultural products. And face it, the local pear bread with emmenthal and a slosh of vino blanco is heaven on Earth.All this, at a totally outrageous price of about 60 Suisse Francs — notwithstanding the booze — or less than $100. What’s truly outrageous is how civilized it is. I couldn’t take this train ride in Alberta if I wanted to, even if I had $10K to blow on my reporter’s salary.This could easily be in Alberta, but it isn’t. Even though the scenery is almost exactly, eerily similar. Banff and St. Moritz could be twins. So much that the CPR co-opted the imagery of the 1928 Olympics on its iconic travel posters almost down to the letter and brush stroke. It’s no coincidence.Like the CPR, the Rhaetian Railroad was commissioned in 1888 and shares many of the same engineering innovations, including spiral tunnels to slow the locomotives. Not to mention outstanding scenery. In the 1920s the CPR hired Swiss guides to track the trails and promote Banff as a tourist destination and I’m having flashbacks.And just a twinge of regret..Which is a shame. Notwithstanding how beautiful it is, there are some real practical benefits to be gained from having a link from YYC, to downtown Calgary and out to Banff, and even Jasper.In Switzerland, the Bernina line has almost single-handedly kept the entire Poschiavo Valley from the Italian border all the way to Davos alive, providing a much needed connection between ancient Swiss villages and the modern world.In the regional center of Sondrio, almost the entire northern region of Italy is being revitalized with light industry and jobs for commuters travelling back and forth between Milan, an easy 60 minute trip each way. Young people are attracted to cheaper house prices in smaller, picture postcard towns and shuffle to jobs in the city.Not only does it make good business sense, it’s culturally and economically liberating for smaller, remote communities that rely on rail as a lifeline.That’s not including the cultural contribution. My Dutch grandfather worked the CPR for 35 years as an immigrant and it made him Canadian to his core. This country was built on rail and the vision of an iron link from sea to shining sea was — and ought to be — our defining national goal.Somehow, we’ve lost the plot. And the track. Asleep at the switch, as it were..Despite the naysayers, it could work here too. On an epic scale. That’s why I fully support the UCP government’s rail master plan. Not because it’s romantic — although it’s no secret Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has a soft spot in her policy-wonk heart for the romance of rail. It actually does make sound economic sense. Ask the Swiss, who have never been known as particularly flamboyant folks. But nobody can deny they can stretch a dollar (Franc) with practicality AND style while maintaining their cultural, political and economic independence. And no, it isn’t cheap. Call it an investment in our collective consciousness.Instead of electricity or steam, we could do it with hydrogen. Which would truly be a slam dunk and example for the entire world, as well as an engineering marvel rooted in a sense of tradition and forward thinking.The problem is, we’re looking in the rearview, fixated on boondoggles of the past.It’s our version of Rearden Steel. Who is John Galt? He‘s left the station. .Apart from being a lover of an epic train ride — and the Bernina Express is truly epic on so many levels — it’s something the premier and I have in common. Western Standard readers — and I’m well aware of how most feel about the issue, most gave Smith a resounding thumbs down — should get on board too.Or get stranded on the track; Atlas shrugged.

POLCZER: Taking the tourist train to Switzerland, and how Alberta could ride it to Banff

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