Bernina Express alternatives

This is a designed connection. The train from Samedan to Pontresina will be waiting on the platform for you when you arrive and 2 minutes is all the time required to make the connection, as it is a cross platform transfer. You just get off and walk 20 ft across to the waiting train and get on board.

Swiss train tickets are good for the whole day on the route it was issued for. If you did miss a connection, you just wait for the next train and take that one. In this case, it would be a 1 hour wait. Trains from Tirano to Varenna also go once per hour, so you will get to Varenna.

An alternative is to specify a stop over in St Moritz, then you will only have a single connection and it will be about 50 minutes, time enough to grab a coffee and a snack and gaze at St Moritz. There is a Migrolino grocery store in the station that sells coffee, pastries and sandwiches (think 7-11). Ticket price is exactly the same, you will just arrive in Tirano and hour later.

If you stick with your plan to change trains at Samedan and you did miss your connection, there is a restaurant in the Hotel Terminus across from the station to kill the hour wait for the next train.

Sam you have saved me a few times now. I really appreciate your help. Thankyou.

I did the Bernina route on regional trains in August last year; as Sam said, it was no problem at all. I started that day in Bellinzona, so there were very many transfers involved. It was super easy, and the trains weren't crowded. Even better: In an unusual-for-me scenario, I figured out that part of my itinerary way ahead of time and was able to buy a CHF 52 Saver Day Pass that covered all the trains between Bellinzona and Tirano.

Just a quick comment. We've done the "regular" trains in Switzerland, and also did the Bernina Express panoramic train. We did enjoy the experience on the Bernina express, but in the future we'd stick with the regular trains. They are not as crowded and the ones I've been on are newer/nicer. The only difference is window size, but when I'm right next to the window, the difference in size did not amount to anything. The only question I would have is that on the Bernina Express there was at least one stop. I'm not sure if a person on the regular trains can get off at a stop, do a bit of sight seeing and then hop on the next train? There was one stop, I believe at a summit that was lovely.

Thank you everyone for your input. This is really reassuring. We have a Eurail pass, from my understanding this should be sufficient unless a reservation is required.