Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn Completes 100 Years Brig-Disentis

BRIG, Switzerland – The 96km metre-gauge railway from Brig to Disentis, now operated by Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGBahn), marked its centenary on 3 July 2026. The route, which reaches 2,033m at the Oberalp Pass, was completed after a 15-year struggle that saw bankruptcy and suspension of tunnel works. A special one-day heritage journey from Oberwald to Realp was the centrepiece of the anniversary.

What Is the Full Scope of This Project?

The original Brig–Disentis main line, opened in full on 3 July 1926, is 96km long and crosses the Swiss Alps through four valley regions; its defining modern infrastructure is the 15.4km Furka Base Tunnel, operational since 1982, which converted a summer-only mountain railway into a year-round transport corridor.

The project’s engineering history spans three distinct eras: the initial 1911–1926 mountain route with seasonal dismantling of electrical equipment, the 1982 base tunnel investment, and the 2003 merger that created MGBahn from Furka Oberalp Bahn and Brig–Visp–Zermatt-Bahn. The original high-altitude section between Oberwald and Realp is preserved for heritage steam operation by Dampfbahn Furka-Bergstrecke, using historic trains and locomotives. The public budget for the centenary event was not disclosed.

Key Project Data

How Does This Compare to Similar Projects?

Switzerland’s Alpine rail programme follows a clear pattern of trading summit routes for base tunnels: the 15.4km Furka Base Tunnel, opened in 1982, was the first major step, followed by the 34.6km Lötschberg Base Tunnel (2007) and the 57km Gotthard Base Tunnel (2016) (Source: SBB, 2016). This 96km Brig–Disentis line is the only Swiss metre-gauge main line with both a high-altitude pass and a fully parallel heritage route, giving it a redundancy and tourism profile that no standard-gauge tunnel project has replicated.

The centenary also lands at a moment of clear modal shift: Swiss passenger rail travel grew 5.0% in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, while rail freight volumes fell 4.0% (Source: RailwayPro, 2026). That imbalance is visible on this corridor, where Glacier Express tourism and regional passenger services dominate, and where the old Furka summit line is now operated exclusively for leisure and heritage traffic.

Editor’s Analysis

The centenary is less about nostalgia than about infrastructure resilience: the Furka Base Tunnel freed the crossing from winter shutdowns, and the heritage mountain line now captures a distinct tourism market while insulating the core service from weather risk. With the Glacier Express marketed as a premium travel product, MGBahn can use both the base tunnel and the steam-operated summit route to serve separate demand segments. The corridor’s next decade will be shaped by the Bilateral III rail market negotiations, which Switzerland will vote on nationwide in 2027 and which will determine access rules for international services running through this Alpine corridor (Source: Switzerland Global Enterprise, 2026).

FAQ

Q: When does the historic Furka mountain line operate?
A: The heritage section is operated by Dampfbahn Furka-Bergstrecke during the summer months only, using historic steam locomotives over the original high-mountain alignment. The modern Furka Base Tunnel provides year-round MGBahn service between Brig and Disentis.

Q: What is the highest point on the Brig–Disentis line?
A: The highest point on the scheduled route is the Oberalp Pass at 2,033m, which is part of the Glacier Express route. The Bernina Pass on the Rhaetian Railway is higher, reaching 2,253m.

Q: Which operator is responsible for the centenary celebrations and current services?
A: Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGBahn) operates all scheduled services on the Brig–Disentis corridor as part of its network and the Glacier Express. The Dampfbahn Furka-Bergstrecke operates tourist steam services over the old mountain route.