'Queen of Country Pop' Shania Twain Boards The Shania Train

Canadian musician Shania Twain recently boarded the new Golden Pass Express train from Montreux on Lake Geneva to Interlaken in central Switzerland, which has been dubbed as Shania Train.

Shania Twain is a Canadian country singer who rose to prominence in the mid-1990s as one of the most successful crossover performers, thanks to her blend of country tunes and pop vocals. She is recognised as the 'Queen of Country Pop,' and is the only performer to have three consecutive certified diamond records. She has sold over 100 million albums worldwide.

Twain has garnered several honours for her songs over her career, including Grammys, World Music Awards, and B.M.I. Songwriter Awards. She was also inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Shania Twain

Shania Twain has been a resident of Lake Geneva for ten years.  A representative for the Montreux Oberland Bernois Railway stated in a news release, 'The Canadian artist is the godmother of the Shania Train.'

Twain tweeted about her 'honour' after attending the inaugural event in December, saying, 'All aboard the Shania Train to Twain Town.'

The new train, which is the route's first nonstop service, has had to overcome some significant challenges.

For starters, the platforms at each station are at various heights, making boarding and exiting potentially dangerous. The new train's body, however, can now adjust to the platform height by sliding up or down 200mm owing to trucks beneath each carriage.

The engineers also had to figure out how to make the train run on the route's two differing track gauges. What is the solution? Wheels that can be changed to various widths while the train is moving.

Passengers on the route may now enjoy their three-hour ride through the Swiss Alps without having to change trains twice.

The new railway follows the Golden Pass trade route, which has been in use since the Medieval Ages. It begins by following the coasts of Lake Geneva before entering the Hongrin valley, known for its dairy cows, cheese, and chocolate. It comes to an end at the tourist town of Interlaken.

Currently, the service operates once a day in each direction, but it will grow to four daily return trips beginning 11 June.

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