disaster area. The new rail alignment, totalling 2860 m, was ready to be opened on 1 August 1991. However, a heavy thunderstorm on 8 August led to a blockage of the newly excavated river channel of the Vispa by washed up glacial rubble, which meant a second flooding of the station. After the water had flowed away to a sufficient extent, the rail traffic could once again be resumed on 10 August. The total damage to the railway was valued at 16.5 Million francs, of which 13.59 Million could be alleviated by natural disaster relief under the Swiss Federal Railway Law. Due to the break in the track, which was closed for 105 days, the Jubilee festivities originally scheduled for July 1991 had to be postponed until October. During the Jubilee, the Brig-Visp-Zermatt-Bahn was renamed as the BVZ Zermatt-Bahn, to highlight more strongly the most important town on the line. Transformation to the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn On 1 January 2003, the BVZ merged with the neighbouring Furka Oberalp Bahn to form the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn. At the same time, the business of the two railways was split into the group companies Matterhorn Gotthard Verkehrs AG (passenger concession, rolling stock, maintenance, road traffic), Matterhorn Gotthard Infrastruktur AG (infrastructure concession, formations, buildings) and the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn AG responsible for management of personnel and group management. All group companies belong to BVZ Holding, which has its origins in the BVZ, and ultimately to the Swiss federation and the Cantons of Valais, Uri and Grisons. The merger of the two railways made possible the implementation of numerous development measures. By the end of 2006, the shuttle train terminal in Täsch had been fundamentally transformed, and the number of covered parking spaces increased to 1700. In connection with the opening of the Lötschberg Base Tunnel, the Visp railway station was completely rebuilt. Beginning in 2005, the MGB lines were moved from the station forecourt to points adjacent to the existing standard gauge tracks so as to minimise the walking distances for transferring passengers. Description of the line Brig–Visp Since 1930, the starting point for the line to Zermatt has been Brig station. Until the merger of the two railways, the metre gauge part of this station was owned by the FO, and the BVZ therefore had to pay a fee for using it. Erected in 1915 by the then Brig-Furka-Disentis-Bahn, Brig's metre gauge station