2017: The Start of Operations for a Mountain-Based Swiss Railway Station

April 8, 2017

A replacement railway station on Monte Generoso in southeastern Switzerland was opened. This station is specifically located in Ticino, which has the distinction of being the only Swiss canton where Italian is the sole official language.

The current version of Generoso Vetta railway station was designed by Ticino-born architect Mario Botta (born in 1943). It is part of the Monte Generoso railway, which serves as a link between the Ticino village of Capolago and the summit of Monte Generoso. This station is within walking distance of the mountain’s summit and just a few feet (meters) away from the Swiss-Italian border. (“Vetta” is the Italian word for “summit.”)  

Generoso Vetta railway station, nicknamed the Fiore di Pietra (the Italian phrase for “stone flower”), has both a buffet restaurant and a rooftop viewing gallery. This building is 5,223.1 feet (1,592 meters) above sea level, making it the highest railway station in Ticino.

Photo Credit: Chris j wood (licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en)

For more information on Generoso Vetta railway station, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generoso_Vetta_railway_station