Travel by train is safe and comfortable, but not on these routes: along mountain serpentines, next to an active volcano, over an abyss – this is only suitable for fearless travelers.
1. Chennai Rameswaram Route in India
A train traveling from the town of Chennai to the island of Rameswaram, the last few kilometers of the journey passes over the Pamban Bridge over the Indian Ocean. The views of the ocean from the windows are beautiful, but only intrepid travelers can appreciate them – after all, this is the oldest bridge over the ocean in India, built in 1914. Over the past hundred years it has hardly been repaired.
2. Aso Minami Route in Japan
This mountain road in southern Japan has been repeatedly recognized as the most dangerous in the world. An old train of three carriages first goes over the abyss, and then along the southern slope of Mount Aso, the largest active volcano in Japan, where an eruption can begin at any moment. The windows on the train are not glazed, so that it is more convenient for tourists to take pictures against the backdrop of a smoking volcano.
3. Tren a las Nubes in Argentina
The train, whose name translates as “Train to the Clouds,” connects Argentina with Chile and the Pacific coast, crossing the Andes Mountains and rising to an altitude of 4 thousand meters above sea level. This route is loved by tourists from all over the world: the train crosses 21 tunnels, 29 bridges, 13 viaducts. But only people with good vestibular apparatus will be able to enjoy the journey: the track rises twice in a spiral, and in two places “zigzags” are arranged to overcome the strong difference in heights, along which the train climbs parallel to the slope of the mountain.
4. White Pass & Yukon Route in Alaska, USA
The Alaska to Canada Railroad, built during the Gold Rush, closed in 1982 following the collapse of the mining industry. But in 1988 it was rediscovered and a special tourist train, made in the style of the 19th century, was launched. Beautiful views of mountains, glaciers and waterfalls, the serpentine road in a shaking and rumbling trailer will be remembered for a long time.
5. Georgetown Loop Railroad in Colorado, USA
The narrow gauge road in the Colorado mountains was built in 1877 to provide access to silver mines. Since 1984, summer tourist trains have been running along this route. The route lasts 7 kilometers, the train goes uphill at an incline, slows down and shakes on a flimsy bridge over an abyss and turns into a bend at great speed.
6. Lynton & Lunmouth Cliff in the UK
The line, built in 1890, connects two cliff towns in the south of the country. The tiny train races down a 155m cliff at a 58% incline through Exmoor National Park, with stunning views of the North Devon coastline.
7. Argo Gede Train Railroad in Indonesia
The train goes from the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta, to Bandung along a mountain serpentine road, and then along the Sikurutag bridge over river valleys and picturesque fields. The views are stunningly beautiful, but the tracks were repaired in the last century and in 2002 a train derailed on this section.
8. Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad in New Mexico
Built in 1880, the road connects New Mexico and Colorado and passes through the Rocky Mountains. The route begins in the gorge, passes through a pass 3 thousand meters high, a dozen overpasses, tunnels and cliffs and is suitable only for the most resilient travelers who are not afraid of heights, because this is the highest railway in the USA.
9. Kuranda Scenic Railroad in Australia
The road, passing through a thicket of tropical forest and along a mountain gorge, was built in 1891 and is considered one of the most scenic railways in the world. At one point, the train passes so close to a waterfall that drops fall on the window panes. During the one and a half hour journey, the train passes through 15 tunnels and 40 creaking bridges on stilts over gorges.
10. Narizdel Diabolo in Ecuador
The 12-kilometer long stretch in the Andes of Ecuador was built in 1902 and is a work of engineering: it encircles an almost vertical mountain. All 12 kilometers of the journey the train sharply descends and rises at an incline over the abyss.
