A prominent landmark and tourist attraction,
The Stourbridge Town branch line is a 0.8-mile (1.3 km) railway branch line, in Stourbridge, West Midlands, England. It is the shortest line in Britain, and can also be defined as the shortest line in Europe.
What is the Longest Train Ever? The Australian BHP Iron Ore is the longest train ever recorded in history at approximately 4.6 miles (7.353 km). In the Pilbara region of Western Australia, BHP owns and runs the Mount Newman railway.
Built in 1901 by Colonel J.W. Eddy, lawyer, engineer and friend of President Abraham Lincoln, Angels Flight is said to be the world's shortest incorporated railway. The counterbalanced cars, controlled by cables, travel a 33 percent grade for 315 feet.
1: Shanghai Maglev - 460 kph/286 mph (China)
The world's fastest public train is also unique – it's the only link in the world currently carrying passengers using magnetic levitation (Maglev) rather than conventional steel wheels on steel rails.
One industry estimate suggests that the median train length for Class I railroads – including the major freight railroad companies – was 5347 feet (about 1600 metres) in 2022. But each day, there were more than 1600 trains with lengths of at least 7591 feet (2300 metres) operating.
The record attempt was organized to celebrate 175 years of Swiss railways. For a small country with a mountainous landscape which, at first glance, seems unsuited to railways, Switzerland punches well above its weight in the industry.
THE VENICE SIMPLON-ORIENT-EXPRESS
Probably the most famous train in the world, and one of the best train journeys in Europe, the legendary Orient Express has now been reimagined by Belmond to emulate the Golden Age of travel.
How much does a train Weigh? A train can weigh anywhere from 4,000 tons (8,818,490 lbs) to 20,000 tons (44,092,452 lbs) or even more in some cases.
The ICE (InterCity Express) is a high-speed train that connects all major cities in Germany. With speeds up to 300km/h, this is one of the fastest ways to travel between cities such as Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne.
Germany has developed the Transrapid, a maglev train system. The Transrapid reaches speeds up to 550 km/h (342 mph).
The Glacier Express is known as the slowest express train in the world. As St. Moritz and Zermatt are home to two well-known mountains, the Glacier Express is also said to travel from Matterhorn to Piz Bernina.
The Glacier Express is the world's slowest high-speed train running in the Swiss Alps.
The Glacier Express is the world's slowest train, taking more than eight hours to travel between Zermatt and St. Moritz in Switzerland at an average of 18mph. Along the way, it passes over nearly 300 bridges, travels through 91 tunnels and takes in endless stunning Alpine views.
The Trivandrum-Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express is the longest 'non-stop train' in India. It covers 528-km distance between Vadodara and Kota in 6.5 hours without any hault.
Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) high-speed IC and ICE trains are easily the best way to travel between major town & cities all over Germany, in comfort at ground level.
In sixty years of operation, Japan's high-speed rail lines have had zero fatal accidents, making them one of the safest forms of transportation in the world. The Maglev service intends to keep up that spotless record.
1. Switzerland. Tucked inside the small but incredibly beautiful country of Switzerland is one of the most efficient and scenic rail networks in the world.
The fastest Swiss train is the SBB RABe 501 also named Giruno. It is operated by the Swiss Federal Railways since May 2016. They can reach higher speeds than conventional trains on the curve-intensive Swiss network, however the top speed of 200 km/h (124 mph) can only be reached on high-speed lines.
Rhaetian Railway ran the 1.9-km-long train from Preda to Berguen along the Albula/Bernina route — one of the most spectacular tracks.
Japan: L0 Series Maglev (374 mph)
Although not yet in regular service, this Japanese train, which is currently being developed and tested by the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central), holds the land speed record for rail vehicles, clocking in at 374 mph.
How fast are high-speed trains in Europe? High-speed trains in Europe can reach speeds of up to 198 mph (320 km/h). Some of the fastest trains in Europe travelling at these speeds include AVE, TGV and Frecciarossa 1000.
How fast are high-speed trains in Italy? High-speed trains in Italy can reach speeds of up to 400 km/h (248 mph). The fastest Italian high-speed train reaching that speed is the modern Frecciarossa 1000, which connects the main cities, including Turin, Milan, Florence, Rome, Naples and Salerno.
Federal regulators limit the speed of trains with respect to the signaling method used. Passenger trains are limited to 59 mph and freight trains to 49 mph on track without block signal systems. (See dark territory.)