List of highest railways
This article lists the highest railways in the world.[1] Before the opening of the Qinghai–Tibet Railway in 2006, a line passing through Tanggula Mountains and Tanggula Pass, the highest three railways were located in the Andean countries of Peru and Bolivia. The list only includes non-cable railways whose culminating point is over 2,000 metres above sea level.
For a list by country, see List of highest railways by country.
List
Completed
Rank | Railway line | Highest point | Highest elevation | Country | Opened | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Xining-Golmud-Lhasa | Tanggula | 5,068 m (16,627 ft)[2] | 2006 | ||
2 | Bilaspur-Leh | Changla | 5,036 m (16,522 ft) | 2025 | Under Construction. Construction initiated due to Indo-China War Like Conflict from 2014. | |
3 | Lima–Huancayo | Ticlio | 4,829 m (15,843 ft)[3][4] | 1893 | Highest railway in the Americas | |
3 | Rio Mulatos–Potosí | Cóndor | 4,786 m (15,702 ft) | |||
4 | Cuzco-Lake Titicaca | La Raya | 4,313 m (14,150 ft) | |||
5 | Salta–Antofagasta | La Polvorilla | 4,220 m (13,845 ft) | 1948 | "Tren a las Nubes" tourist service between Salta and La Polvorilla | |
6 | Quito-Guayaquil | Urbina | 3,609 m (11,841 ft) | 1908 | Reopened 2011 | |
7 | Lanzhou–Xinjiang High-Speed Railway | Qilianshan No.2 Tunnel | 3,608 m (11,837 ft) | 2014 | Highest high-speed railway | |
8 | Jungfraubahn | Jungfraujoch | 3,454 m (11,332 ft)[5] | 1912 | Highest railway in Europe, underground above 2,350 m.[5][6] | |
9 | Leadville, Colorado and Southern Railroad | Leadville | 3,414 m (11,201 ft) | Highest Adhesion railway in North America | ||
10 | Gornergratbahn | Gornergrat | 3,090 m (10,138 ft) | 1898 | Highest open-air railway in Europe | |
11 | Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad | Cumbres Pass | 3,054 m (10,020 ft) | 1881 | Highest narrow gauge railroad in North America | |
12 | Yuergou–Yanqi Railway | Kuixian Tunnel | 2,980 m (9,777 ft) | 1978 | Main line of Southern Xinjiang Railway before 2014 | |
13 | Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad | Silverton | 2,837 m (9,308 ft) | 1881 | ||
14 | Union Pacific Railroad, Moffat Tunnel Subdivision | Moffat Tunnel | 2,816 m (9,239 ft) | 1928 | Apex in tunnel; highest point in Amtrak network, used by California Zephyr | |
15 | Uganda Railway | Baringo County, Kenya | 2,785 m (9,137 ft) | 1930 | Highest railway in Africa | |
16 | Lanzhou–Xinjiang Railway | Wushaoling Tunnel | 2,663 m (8,737 ft) | 2006 | ||
17 | Bavarian Zugspitze Railway | Schneefernerhaus | 2,650 m (8,694 ft) | 1930 | Underground above 1,640 m | |
18 | Lanzhou–Chongqing Railway | Muzhailing Tunnel | 2,549 m (8,363 ft)[7] | 2017 | ||
19 | Alishan Forest Railway | Chushan | 2,451 m (8,041 ft) | 1912 | Highest railway in Taiwan | |
20 | Massawa–Asmara Railway | Asmara | 2,394 m (7,854 ft) | 1911 | Highest railway in Eritrea | |
21 | Tramway du Mont-Blanc[8] | Nid d'aigle de Bionnassay | 2,380 m (7,808 ft) | 1909 | ||
22 | BNSF Raton Pass Line | Raton Pass | 2,312 m (7,585 ft) | 1879 | Highest point on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway; continues to be used by Amtrak's Southwest Chief. | |
23 | Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway | Addis Ababa | 2,293 m (7,523 ft) | 2018 | Highest railway in Ethiopia | |
24 | Darjeeling Himalayan Railway | Ghum | 2,257 m (7,405 ft) | 1891 | Highest railway in India | |
25 | Bernina Railway | Ospizio Bernina | 2,253 m (7,392 ft) | 1909 | Highest rail crossing in Europe[9] | |
26 | Chengdu–Kunming Railway | Shamalada Tunnel | 2,244 m (7,362 ft)[10] | 1969 | ||
27 | Nilgiri Mountain Railway | Ooty | 2,210 m (7,251 ft)[11] | 1908 | Highest railway in south India | |
28 | Overland Route | Donner Pass | 2,151 m (7,057 ft) | 1869 | Part of First Transcontinental Railroad | |
29 | Kalka–Shimla Railway | Shimla | 2,186 m (7,172 ft)[12] | 1898 | ||
30 | Pilatus Railway | Pilatus | 2,073 m (6,801 ft) | 1889 | Steepest non-cable railway in the world[13] | |
31 | Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn | Oberalp Pass | 2,043 m (6,703 ft) | 1926 | ||
32 | Kashmir Railway | Qazigund | 2,025 m (6,644 ft)[14] | 2009 |
Closed railways
Rank | Railway line | Highest point | Highest elevation | Country | Opened / closed | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway | Pikes Peak Summit | 4,301 m (14,111 ft)[15] | 1891 / 2017 | Highest railway in North America. Might reopen in 2020 [16] | |
2 | Denver South Park & Pacific | Alpine Tunnel | 3,512 m (11,522 ft) | 1882 / 1910 | ||
3 | Mendoza–Los Andes | Los Caracoles | 3,136 m (10,289 ft) | 1910 / 1984 | ||
4 | DRG&W Tennessee Pass Route | Tennessee Pass | 3,025 m (9,925 ft) | 1881 / 1997 | Out of service. Can be reactivated if traffic permits. | |
5 | Sikkim | Rangpo | 2,116 m (6,942 ft) | 1881 / 1934 | Re-construction initiated due to Indo-China War Like Conflict from 2014. | |
6 | Dumaresq–Glen Innes | Ben Lomond | 1,363 m (4,472 ft) | August 19, 1884 / December 10, 1985 | Formerly the highest station in Australia |
Gallery
- Tanggula railway station building, Tibet
- View from the summit of Yuraqqucha, near the pass Ticlio, Peru
- The Sphinx observatory on the Jungfraujoch above the Aletsch Glacier, Switzerland
- Ghum railway station at 2,257 metres (7,405 ft), the highest point of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, India
- Ooty railway station, India
- Shimla railway station, India
See also
References
- Infos at mikes.railhistory.railfan.net
- "World's highest railway station enters key construction period". Canada Tibet Committee. July 28, 2005. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- Bennett, Suzy (October 2003). "A train journey through the Peruvian Andes". Wanderlust. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- "Our Train - The Highest in the World". Incas del Peru. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- Jungfraubahnen. "Jungfraujoch - Top of Europe". Jungfrau Ski Region. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- Switzerland Tourism. "Highest railway in Europe". My Switzerland. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- https://wk.baidu.com/view/2ed2676d0066f5335a812149?pcf=2#1. Missing or empty
|title=
(help) - http://www.compagniedumontblanc.fr/fr/presentation-des-sites/tramway-du-mont-blanc
- Nicola Williams, Damien Simonis, Kerry Walker. Switzerland (ebook Edition). Lonely Planet
- "发现金口河大峡谷".
- "Ooty Railway Station". indiarailinfo.com.
- "Shimla Railway Station". indiarailinfo.com.
- Engineering Magazine, Volume 14, p. 81
- "Shimla Railway Station". indiarailinfo.com.
- Manitou & Pike's Peak Cog Railway. "Along The Route". Pikes Peak Cog Railway. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- "Plan To Rebuild Cog Railway Chugs Ahead". CBS Denver. CBS Denver. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
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