10 most beautiful train rides in the World
Rail travel has always appealed to people because it seems romantic and exciting.
The ability to sit back, unwind, and take in the scenery makes using the train one of the most relaxed modes of transportation.
Some train journeys are so breathtakingly beautiful—traveling through orange-hued deserts or along snow-capped peaks in some of the world’s most picturesque
Locations that they stand in for otherworldly travel experiences.
Listed below are the 10 most beautiful train rides in the World:
- Konkan Railway, India
- White Pass and Yukon railroad, Canada and USA
- Rocky Mountaineer, Canada
- Grand Canyon Railway, USA
- Blue train, South Africa
- The Bergen Railway, Norway
- Trans- Siberian Railway, Russia
- Glacier Express, Switzerland
- Jacobite Steam Train
- West Highland Line, Scotland
1. Konkan Railway, India
The Konkan Railways, which connects India’s western coast to the rest of the nation, are without a doubt the most stunning and
magnificent train tracks in the world.
The 738-kilometer long Konkan Railway runs across the states of Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka.
The Konkan Railway (KR) was constructed in response to a long standing need for a railroad line that would offer a cheap and quick route of transportation through the Konkan region.
The Western Ghats, a section of India’s western coast, includes the Konkan region.
The coastline segment between Goa and the Londa in Karnataka is the most beautiful part of this train route from New Delhi to
Goa.
It travels through some of the most beautiful natural and beautiful spots.
There are numerous tunnels and bridges along this road, which passes through the stunning Western Ghats and contains hundreds of streams and rivers.
It is common to witness streams of water flowing over rocks close to the tracks during the monsoon season.
The experience is made even more exquisite by the ability to observe clouds hovering at the train’s level.
Traveling along this path is a visual pleasure in and of itsself. The Konkan Railways have long been hailed as modern India’s greatest engineering achievement.
Building a railway line along a coastline that is densely populated with cities and towns is difficult.
It makes sense that the majority of the route’s stations are farther from the cities than the older ones, which are typically located
right in the midst of them.
Both unstable mountain ranges and sandy terrain are encountered along the way.
The Western Ghats’ lush green hills surround the station, which is connected by Konkan Railway.
2. White Pass and Yukon railroad, Canada and USA
The White Pass and Yukon Route is a Class III 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge railroad that connects Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon, with the port of Skagway, Alaska.
It is a standalone system with no direct links to other railroads.
Equipment, cargo, and people are transported through road through some of the stops along its path as well as by ship through the Port of Skagway.
To get to the goldfields during the Klondike Gold Rush, the railroad’s construction started in 1898.
After it was finished in 1900, it replaced the Chilkoot Trail and other routes as the main access point to the Yukon’s interior.
The line remained in use until 1982, and it was partially restored as a heritage railway in 1988.
Carnival Corporation & plc purchased the railway in July 2018.
The 1897 Klondike Gold Rush gave rise to the line.
The most common path followed by prospectors to the Dawson City gold fields was a perilous one from the port in Skagway or
Dyea, Alaska, across the mountains to the Canada/US boundary at the summit of the Chilkoot Pass or the White Pass.
There, Canadian officials forbade the prospectors from crossing unless they had enough winter gear, usually one tonne of supplies.
Typically, numerous journeys across the passes were necessary for this.
Better modes of transportation were required than the Chilkoot Pass human portage or pack horses utilised over the White Pass.
This requirement gave rise to several railroad plans.
The Canadian government received 32 bids for railroads in the Yukon in 1897.
3. Rocky Mountaineer, Canada
Harry Holmes, a CN locomotive engineer, and Pat Crowley, a businesswoman in the tourism industry, both of Jasper, Alberta, came
up with the idea for the Rocky Mountaineer. They collaborated to build a business plan that they later submitted to Via Rail before Expo 86.
An all daylight sightseeing train was intended for the Canadian Rockies.
It started as a once-weekly daytime service between Vancouver and Calgary and Jasper on Via Rail Canada in 1988.
The first departure of the Canadian Rockies by Daylight, a special train for the tourism industry and the general public on June 9, 1988, took place on May 22.
This service ran exclusively throughout the day, stopping for the night in Kamloops to enjoy the spectacular vistas.
These were express services that didn’t make any stops in between.
For its GoldLeaf service, Rocky Mountaineer has won the “World’s Leading Travel Experience by Train” title at the World Travel
Awards seven times, as well as the “World’s Leading Luxury Train” title three times.
In 2007, National Geographic Magazine named Rocky Mountaineer as one of the “World’s Best Journeys.”
The Rocky Mountaineer was named the best train trip in the world in 2009 by the Society of American Travel Writers, the biggest association of professional travel writers and photographers in the world.
4. Grand Canyon Railway, USA
A historic railroad called the Grand Canyon Railway (reporting mark GCRX) transports people between Williams, Arizona, and the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park.
On September 17, 1901, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway finished construction on the 103-kilometer (64-mile) line.
When trains arrived, tourism in the area expanded, and the railway company played a key role in developing Grand Canyon Village as a visitor destination.
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway stopped passenger service on the Grand Canyon Railway in July 1968, and the line’s freight operation was discontinued in 1974 as a result of declining patronage brought on by the rise in popularity of the vehicle.
In 1988, private investors bought the line, repaired the infrastructure, and started transporting passengers.
The ride is 2 hours and 15 minutes each way and the first train leaves Williams at 9:30 am to take its passengers to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
The Grand Canyon Railway departs daily at from Williams, Arizona, which is about 30 miles west of Flagstaff, just off Interstate 40.
5. Blue train, South Africa
Between Pretoria and Cape Town, South Africa’s Blue Train travels a distance of 990 miles (or about 1,600 kilometres). The trip is among the world’s most opulent train experiences.
It includes butler service, two lounge cars (one for smokers and one for non-smokers), an observation car, and carriages with gold-tinted picture windows in soundproofed, fully carpeted chambers, each with its own en-suite (many of which are equipped with a full-sized bathtub.)
The company that runs the service touts it as a “magnificent moving five-star hotel,” noting that kings and presidents have taken it.
Luxury rooms, exquisite lounges, superb restaurants, and boutique jewellery stores are available on The Blue Train.
In order to make your time on board unforgettable, your personal butler will take extraordinary care of you.
It takes 31 hours to travel 1,600 kilometres (994 miles) from Pretoria to Cape Town, passing through some of the continent’s most
varied and breathtaking scenery.
Pretoria, South Africa’s Gauteng Province, serves as the starting point for the southbound journey, which also makes a stop in
Kimberly along route.
The northbound route leaves Cape Village and travels to Pretoria and the historic town of Matjiesfontein.
6. The Bergen Railway, Norway
The highest railroad in Northern Europe is the train from Oslo to Bergen.
The route passes through some of Norway’s most breathtaking scenery.
Between Bergen and Oslo, there are five daily departures (four in the winter), and you can even make the trip overnight (which is really convenient but you’ll miss the scenery!).
There are 180 tunnels and 22 stations on the Bergensbanen train between Oslo and Bergen, which takes around seven hours.
Also read – The most dangerous mountain of the world
The Bergen Railway, which connects Oslo and Bergen through the mountains, was established in 1909.
These are Norway’s two biggest cities.
With a height of 1,222 metres above sea level at the Finse train station, the Bergen Line is the tallest railway in Northern Europe.
You can view the alpine mountain scenery in the summer, while the autumn brings gorgeous fall leaves.
A winter adventure is particularly fantastic because you will undoubtedly see snow.
7. Trans- Siberian Railway, Russia
The Trans-Siberian Railway, the longest railway in the world at over 9,289 kilometres (5,772 miles), connects European Russia to the Russian Far East.
It connects the cities of Vladivostok and Moscow in the east and west, respectively.
Between 1891 and 1916, government ministers directly chosen by Alexander III and his son Nicholas II oversaw the construction of the railway system throughout the Russian Empire.
The line drew tourists who recorded their experiences before it was finished.
The Trans-Siberian Railway has been offering a direct route between Moscow and Vladivostok since 1916.
Expansion initiatives are still under progress as of 2021, and connections to Russia’s neighbours are being established (namely Mongolia, China, and North Korea).
The Trans-Siberian Railroad, often known as the Trans-Siberian Railway, is the world’s longest single rail line, spanning 5,771 miles (9,288 km) through Russia from Moscow to
Vladivostok.
Its full name is Transsibirskaya Zheleznodorozhnaya Magistral.
8. Glacier Express, Switzerland
The Glacier Express (GEX) is a direct train that runs between Zermatt and St. Moritz, two prominent mountain resorts in the heart of the Swiss Alps, through Andermatt.
The train is not a “express” in the sense of being a high-speed train; rather, it is a “express” in the sense that it offers a single trip for an 8-hour, 291 km (181 mi) end-to-end journey while skipping local trains’ stops.
The Glacier Express is regarded as the world’s slowest express train.
The Glacier Express is also supposed to go from Matterhorn to Piz Bernina, as St. Moritz and Zermatt are home to two well-known summits.
The Glacier Express costs CHF 91 for one way travel.
Based on a 2nd class Saver Day Pass (CHF 52) and a seat reservation during off-peak hours, this is the least expensive rate available to non-pass holders (CHF 39).
If purchased far enough in advance, a Saver Day Pass will frequently cost less than regular tickets.
9. Jacobite Steam Train
A portion of Scotland’s West Highland Line is traversed by the Jacobite, a tourist train pulled by steam locomotives.
Since 1984, it has been running every summer under several titles and with different operators. It has been crucial in maintaining a scenic path.
The North British Railway ran the West Highland Line’s Mallaig Extension, which debuted in 1901.
The British government significantly subsidised the construction of the line with the goal of helping to open up this isolated and rural area of the Scottish Atlantic coast.
At the Grouping in 1923 and the Nationalization in 1948, it was incorporated into the London and North Eastern Railway and British Railways, respectively.
West Highlander Trains took over operation of the route in 1995 following the privatisation of British Rail.
After the numerous local ties to the Jacobite political movement in the Highlands, the service was renamed “The Jacobite.”
10. West Highland Line, Scotland
The West Highland Line is a railroad line that connects Glasgow in Central Scotland to the ports of Mallaig and Oban in the Scottish Highlands.
In 2009, readers of the independent travel magazine Wanderlust chose this route as the best rail ride in the world, beating out the well-known Trans-Siberian railway in Russia and the Cuzco to Machu Picchu railway in Peru.
The line has now been named the world’s most scenic train line for the second consecutive year, according to the ScotRail website.
The Kyle of Lochalsh Line, which runs from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh, is the other railway line that provides access to Scotland’s isolated and hilly west coast.
But there’s much more to it than that.
On a Great Scenic Rail Journey that takes you north along the west coast and into the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, you can only view this side of Scotland from the train.
At Crianlarich, the line divides, taking you either across Loch Awe to Oban or high up to Rannoch Moor, through isolated wilderness, and on to Fort William and Mallaig.
