How Google Street View Rides The Rails

As part of their partnership with UNESCO to provide virtual tours of the designated World Heritage Sites, Google sent one of their Street View trikes to ride the Rhaetian Railway in Switzerland to capture its stunning views of the Swiss Alps.

The railway’s Albula and Bernina lines were both declared World Heritage Sites back in 2008, and to capture the majesty that earned them that status, Google simply strapped one of their panoramic camera equipped tricycles to a flat bed railcar. The 122km route, which includes 196 bridges and 55 tunnels, probably didn’t take that long to navigate, which is good because it looks like one of Google’s operators was along for what had to be a rather chilly ride.

Now this isn’t the first time that Google has provided a rail’s eye view of a famous route; last year they did the same for the Trans-Siberian Railway. But that was only a locked-off video shot through a passenger window. The use of their panoramic camera on this route will instead allow for full 360 degree views of the surrounding landscapes, from the comfort of your laptop. [Macprime via Dvice]