Ceremonial Reopening of the train line to Zermatt
Joy reigns! After a nine-week interruption, the village at the foot of the Matterhorn is finally accessible by train again. This ‘first train’ was honoured accordingly on 26th of august.
The storms over the last two weekends in June caused massive damage to the railway line between Visp and Täsch.
Thanks to an almost inhuman effort and excellent co-operation between the various partners and companies involved, it was possible to repair the connection, which is so important for Zermatt, in a very short time.
The first trains have been running on schedule from Visp and Zermatt since this morning. The first ‘official’ train, accompanied by Zermatt’s Director of Tourism, Daniel Luggen, and the CEO of the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway, Fernando Lehner, took place on Monday morning at 8.08 am.
The representatives of Zermatt Tourism and the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway travelled to Zermatt station together with the invited media and the morning train passengers and were greeted by the Alphorn Friends of Zermatt with music and a festive welcome.
Re-commissioning has enormous significance for tourism
The restored train connection between Visp and Täsch is of great importance for the Zermatt – Matterhorn destination. Once again, it has been shown how resilient and responsive the Mattertal is when it comes to repairing damage caused by nature.
It is also worth emphasising how smoothly the rail replacement by bus has worked over the past nine weeks. The bus system has quaranteed the necessary capacity at all times and has made the journey experience for guests a completely satisfactory one.
This replacement solution, the practically constant good weather conditions since the beginning of July and the tireless efforts of the service partners in the destination ensure that Zermatt can look back on a very successful summer season so far, despite the two severe weather weekends at the end of June.
For the rest of the summer season, the hiking and biking network, the Gornergrat and Matterhorn Glacier Paradise excursion mountains, exciting events, high-quality cuisine and friendly hosts guarantee an unforgettable holiday experience.
