Allegra railcars

Comfort for commuters and tourists

The modern Allegra railcars, which began operating on the network of the Rhaetian Railway in 2010, combine elegance with safety. The new trains are a huge leap forward in terms of technology and design – commuters and tourists appreciate the high degree of comfort. Their innovative technology reduces journey times on individual lines.

The Allegra railcars combine power with elegance and comfort. Disabled passengers have no problems boarding and disembarking. Informations screens keeps passengers informed about the progress of their journey.

The three-unit dual-voltage trains can operate on both DC and AC power and are even able to change their power supply system when moving. This removes the need to switch the traction vehicle in Pontresina, thus reducing the journey time.

Five main line trains of this kind serve commuters in the greater Chur area. They consist of four units: two railcars and two low-floor intermediate cars, which are equipped with an area for wheelchair users, disabled toilet facilities and a multi-functional area.

Allegra dual-voltage railcar.

Allegra dual-voltage railcar.

Railcar data

Allegra dual-voltage railcarsAllegra main line railcars
Number of vehicles155
Seats in 1st class2424
Seats in 2nd class76156
Folding seats1422
Output2,600 kW1,400 kW
Top speed100 km/h100 km/h (techn. 120 km/h)

Common technical features:

  • Spacious access with sliding step in the low-floor area
  • Wheelchair spaces
  • Fully-enclosed disabled toilet facilities
  • Air conditioning in passenger compartments and driver’s cab
  • Modern flat-screen passenger information system

Nomenclature of main line railcars

Railcar numberName
3101Meta von Salis, 1855 – 1929, Historian
Women’s rights campaigner Meta von Salis-Marschlins is regarded as Switzerland’s most prominent historian. In 1887 she published an article which, for the first time in German-speaking Switzerland, demanded equal political and legal rights for women. She also maintained a correspondence with Friedrich Nietzsche.
3102Richard La Nicca, 1794 – 1883, Engineer
Richard La Nicca, a native of Safien-Neukirch, was the first official engineer of the Swiss canton Graubünden. Working in this capacity, he supervised the construction of the major Alpine passes of Julier, Maloja and Bernina. In 1826, he drew up the plans to re-route the Rhine in Domleschg.
3103Hortensia von Gugelberg, 1659 – 1715, Author
Hortensia von Gugelberg is regarded as an early founder of the Swiss women’s movement. As a successful and self-taught exponent of natural medicine, she received visits from far and wide from people seeking treatment. She lived in Maienfeld.
3104Achilles Schucan, 1844 – 1927, First director of the Rhaetian Railway
Achilles Schucan was chief engineer and operations manager during the construction of the line from Landquart to Davos. He served as director of the Rhaetian Railway from 1888 to 1909, before chairing the board for a further nine years.
3105Angelika Kauffmann, 1741 – 1807, Painter
Originally from Chur, she painted most of her major works while living in Italy. Notable commissions included those of Queen Charlotte of England, Emperor Joseph II of Austria and Pope Pious VI. Her salon in Rome attracted classically-inspired artists and travellers from all over Europe.

Nomenclature of dual-voltage railcars

Railcar number
Name
3501Willem Jan Holsboer, 1834 - 1898, Founder of the RhB
Holsboer, a Dutch sea-captain and businessman, moved to Davos in 1867, on account of his wife’s lung complaint. He became a prominent local figure, after building a spa and treatment centre for visitors from elsewhere. One of his other projects was the construction of the railway line Landquart - Davos, effectively making him the founder of the RhB.
3502Friedrich Hennings, 1838 - 1922, The man who built the Albula Line
Hennings, a German construction engineer, was involved in the laying of various railway lines in Switzerland. His projects are characterised by the great effort made to ensure that they blend into the natural landscape. He was responsible, as chief engineer between 1898 and 1905, for the construction of the Albula Line.
3503Carlo Janka, 1986*, Olympic champion
Carlo Janka, who was brought up in the Obersaxen region of Switzerland, is one of the world’s best racing skiers. He won the 2009 world giant slalom championships, and gained an Olympic gold medal for the same discipline in 2010. He also won the 2009/10 World Cup.
3504Dario Cologna, 1986*, Olympic champion
Dario Cologna, who was brought up in Val Müstair in Switzerland, is the country’s best-ever cross-country skier. In 2013 the three-time Olympic champion also became world champion in the Skiathlon, in addition to winning the Tour de Ski and overall world title, likewise on three occasions.
3505Giovanni Segantini, 1858 - 1899, Painter
A stateless person, Segantini was educated in Milan, Italy. In 1886, he settled with his family in Savognin, before moving on to Maloja and then Soglio/Bergell. The clear light of the mountains inspired the artist to find a new pictorial language, and he is now regarded, alongside Ferdinand Hodler, as one of the rejuvenators of the Alpine school of painting.
3506Anna von Planta, 1858 – 1934, Co-founder of the Cantonal Hospital of Graubünden
In 1900, a much-travelled Swiss woman named Anna von Planta set up a convalescent home for poor children in her parents’ villa in Chur. She donated the building to the canton in 1916 for use as a women’s clinic and maternity hospital, which in turn became the present-day Cantonal Hospital of Graubünden.
3507Benedetg Fontana, ca. 1450 – 1499, Hero of the battle of the Calven Gorge
Fontana, a Swiss political mediator and military leader from Fürstenburg in Vinschgau, is remembered as a hero of the Swabian War of 1499. Mortally wounded at the battle of Calven in the valley of Müstair, he is said to have rallied his men with the final battle-cry: «Men of Graubünden, defend your homeland today or perish forever!»
3508Richard Coray, 1869 – 1946, Carpenter
This carpenter from the highlands of the Swiss canton of Graubünden created the complex scaffolding used on the most significant bridge structures in Switzerland during the first half of the twentieth century. This required both technical ingenuity and a high level of professional skill on his part.
3509Placidus Spescha, 1752 – 1833, Catholic priest and naturalist
In 1774, Placidus Spescha entered the Benedictine abbey in Disentis. As an alpinist and naturalist, he was the first climber to conquer various local summits, including Rheinwaldhorn in 1789. Owing much to the humanist-baroque spiritual tradition, he is regarded as one of Switzerland’s leading philosophers of the Enlightenment.
3510Alberto Giacometti, 1901 – 1966, Sculptor and painter
Bergell-born Alberto Giacometti spent most of his working life in Paris. His work is concerned mainly with the portrayal of the human form under an existential threat. He is regarded as one of the most significant Swiss artists of the twentieth century.
3511Otto Barblan, 1860 – 1943, Composer
Born in S-chanf, the composer and organist worked mainly in Geneva from 1887. He shaped the world of music there for decades, partly due to his first performances of choral works by Handel, Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms. His pieces often combined late Romantic harmonies with traditional Rhaeto-Romanic songs.
3512Jörg Jenatsch, 1596 – 1639, Priest and politician
A priest from Grisons, he played an active part in Grisons’ exit from the Thirty Years War; partly due to skilled mediation and the murder of the party leader, Pompejus Planta, at Rietberg Castle. He was hailed as a hero due to the fortuitous ending of the war for Grisons.
3513Simeon Bavier, 1825 – 1896, Engineer and politician
The civil engineer from Chur was involved in the construction of various pass roads in Grisons. Later, he increasingly turned his attentions to building railways in Switzerland and abroad. He was the first Swiss federal councillor from the canton of Grisons (from 1878 to 1883).
3514Steivan Brunies, 1877 – 1953, Co-founder of the Swiss National Park
The biologist, born in S-chanf, distinguished himself as a pioneer of nature conservation in Switzerland. He was constantly concerned with bringing young people closer to nature, and not only in his capacity as a teacher. He co-founded the Swiss National Park in the canton of Grisons in 1914.
3515Alois Carigiet, 1902 – 1985, Artist
The artist, born at Trun near Disentis, created posters and stage designs in his younger years. From 1939 he produced artistic works, inspired by the rural setting of his residence in Obersaxen. He gained international recognition through his illustrations in the children’s book «Schellen-Ursli» (A Bell for Ursli) by Selina Chönz.