The GoldenPass Express has been named!
December 9, 2022
A historic event! The GoldenPass Express, which will connect Montreux and Interlaken Ost without change, was officially inaugurated on Friday in Gstaad. Named by Shania Twain and Mike von Grünigen, the new train will make its first official trips on Sunday 11 December.
Two networks, two languages, two cultures, two platform heights, two track gauges, two electrical voltages, two railway companies... With the GoldenPass Express, everything comes in pairs. It was only natural that two trains joined at Gstaad station for the official inauguration. One from Montreux, the other from Interlaken.
At around 11.15 a.m., the new train was officially inaugurated by the two managing directors: Georges Oberson for the MOB and Daniel Schafer for the BLS. "History, innovation, landscape, local products.... The GoldenPass Express is Switzerland as we like it," said Georges Oberson in his speech. His counterpart from BLS, Daniel Schafer, pointed out "the excellent collaboration between the two companies. We are proud to be part of this project, which offers us a chance to position ourselves better internationally”.
One of the trains was named by the world-famous music star Shania Twain. The Canadian singer is the godmother of the Shania Train. A resident of Tour-de-Peilz, Shania Twain was in Los Angeles last Tuesday to receive the music icon award at the People’s Choice Awards 2022. She also recently announced the release of her next album on February 3, followed by an international tour.
The other train, named Gstaad, was christened by Mike von Grünigen, a Swiss ski legend and Saanen native.
This inauguration is historic: it marks the end of a wait of more than a hundred years for a direct link between the two regions. The end of a long wait, certainly, and now the beginning of a great adventure.
As a reminder, this Sunday, 11 December, the GoldenPass Express will run its first commercial service with a train in each direction. Then, from 11 June 2023, the GoldenPass Express will find its cruising rhythm with four return trains between Montreux and Interlaken Ost.
Info on gpx.swiss
Contact: Jérôme Gachet, Communications Manager, j.gachet@mob.ch or 079 437 08 44