The highest railways in the world

53 lines ranked by the altitude their track actually reaches, from the Tibetan plateau to the summit racks of the Alps.

Where can a train take you highest? This ranks every line in the atlas whose altitude is part of its identity by the highest point its track reaches: a mainline crossing a 5,072 m pass and a cog railway grinding to a summit station count alike. 6 lines climb above 4,000 m, all of them in Asia and the Americas; Europe's rack railways top out more than a kilometre lower.

The roof of the world's railways

The Qinghai–Tibet Railway crests at 5,072 m on the Tanggula Pass, higher than the summit of Mont Blanc (4,809 m). Its coaches are sealed and oxygen-enriched like an airliner cabin.

Europe's ceiling is inside a mountain

The Jungfraubahn has ended at Jungfraujoch (3,454 m, in a station carved inside the Eiger–Mönch massif) since 1912. No European rail has gone higher in over a century.

The Andes run on rails

Peru alone holds 4 of the top 8: the Lima–Huancayo line crests at 4,781 m at Galera, and the Titicaca line crosses La Raya at 4,319 m, both on ordinary adhesion track, no rack rails.

The highest point of every ranked line

Highest altitude reached by each line's track, in metres: 53 lines, highest first.

The highest railway on each continent

Asia: Qinghai–Tibet Railway · 5,072 m
South America: Ferrocarril Central Andino · 4,781 m
North America: Pikes Peak Cog Railway · 4,302 m
Europe: Jungfraubahn · 3,454 m
Africa: Nanyuki Safari Train · 1,950 m
Oceania: Blue Mountains Line · 1,067 m

How we measured it

Each figure is the highest point of the line (a summit station or the crest of a pass), as an approximate published value. The ranking covers passenger journeys in the World Train Map atlas (a 1,000 m floor keeps it about mountains); industrial and mining spurs are out of scope, so this is the roof of the railways you can actually ride. Every number comes from the open World Train Map Atlas (CC BY 4.0, archived at DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21322030), free to check or reuse.

Every line, ranked

#	Line	Country	Highest point (m)
1	Qinghai–Tibet RailwayXining–Lhasa · 1,956 km	China	5,072
2	Ferrocarril Central AndinoLima–Huancayo · 346 km	Peru	4,781
3	PeruRail TiticacaCusco–Puno · 388 km	Peru	4,319
4	Pikes Peak Cog RailwayManitou Springs–Pikes Peak Summit · 14 km	United States	4,302
5	Tren a las NubesSalta–San Antonio de los Cobres · 217 km	Argentina	4,220
6	Lhasa–Shigatse RailwayLhasa–Shigatse · 253 km	China	4,000
7	Belmond Hiram BinghamCusco (Poroy)–Machu Picchu · 96 km	Peru	3,486
8	Cusco–Machu PicchuCusco–Machu Picchu · 92 km	Peru	3,486
9	JungfraubahnGrindelwald–Jungfraujoch · 18 km	Switzerland	3,454
10	Gornergrat BahnZermatt–Gornergrat · 9 km	Switzerland	3,089
11	Cumbres & Toltec Scenic RailroadAntonito–Chama · 103 km	United States	3,053
12	Durango & SilvertonDurango–Silverton · 72 km	United States	2,836
13	California ZephyrChicago–San Francisco · 3,924 km	United States	2,816
14	Canyon SpiritDenver–Salt Lake City · 911 km	United States	2,816
15	Winter Park ExpressDenver–Winter Park · 90 km	United States	2,816
16	Bayerische ZugspitzbahnGarmisch-Partenkirchen–Zugspitzplatt · 19 km	Germany	2,588
17	El ChepeLos Mochis–Chihuahua · 653 km	Mexico	2,400
18	Southwest ChiefChicago–Los Angeles · 3,645 km	United States	2,388
19	Darjeeling Toy TrainNew Jalpaiguri–Darjeeling · 88 km	India	2,258
20	Bernina ExpressChur–Tirano · 144 km	Switzerland	2,253
21	Brienz Rothorn BahnBrienz–Rothorn Kulm · 7.6 km	Switzerland	2,244
22	Nilgiri Mountain RailwayMettupalayam–Ooty · 46 km	India	2,203
23	Kalka–Shimla RailwayKalka–Shimla · 96 km	India	2,076
24	WengernalpbahnLauterbrunnen–Grindelwald · 19.1 km	Switzerland	2,061
25	Glacier ExpressZermatt–St. Moritz · 291 km	Switzerland	2,033
26	Montreux–Rochers-de-Naye RailwayMontreux–Rochers-de-Naye · 10.9 km	Switzerland	1,968
27	Schynige Platte RailwayWilderswil–Schynige Platte · 7 km	Switzerland	1,967
28	Cremallera de NúriaRibes de Freser–Núria · 12.5 km	Spain	1,964
29	Nanyuki Safari TrainNairobi–Nanyuki · 237 km	Kenya	1,950
30	Mount Washington Cog RailwayMarshfield Base Station–Mount Washington Summit · 4.8 km	United States	1,917
31	Montenvers RailwayChamonix–Montenvers · 5 km	France	1,913
32	SchneebergbahnPuchberg–Hochschneeberg · 10 km	Austria	1,795
33	Jaffar ExpressQuetta–Peshawar · 1,632 km	Pakistan	1,790
34	Rigi RailwaysVitznau–Rigi Kulm · 7 km	Switzerland	1,752
35	SchafbergbahnSt. Wolfgang–Schafbergspitze · 5.85 km	Austria	1,732
36	WendelsteinbahnBrannenburg–Wendelstein · 8 km	Germany	1,723
37	Monte Generoso RailwayCapolago–Monte Generoso · 9 km	Switzerland	1,704
38	Rocky MountaineerVancouver–Banff · 957 km	Canada	1,627
39	Empire BuilderChicago–Seattle · 3,550 km	United States	1,589
40	Coast StarlightSeattle–Los Angeles · 2,216 km	United States	1,543
41	Brenner RailwayMunich–Verona · 442 km	Germany	1,371
42	Venice Simplon-Orient-ExpressParis–Venice · 1,270 km	France	1,370
43	Arlberg RailwayZurich–Vienna · 811 km	Switzerland	1,310
44	NightjetVienna–Zurich · 780 km	Austria	1,310
45	GoldenPass LineMontreux–Lucerne · 191 km	Switzerland	1,279
46	LötschbergerBern–Brig · 110 km	Switzerland	1,240
47	BergensbanenOslo–Bergen · 496 km	Norway	1,237
48	Tauern RailwaySalzburg–Villach · 183 km	Austria	1,226
49	ErzbergbahnVordernberg–Eisenerz · 20 km	Austria	1,204
50	MittenwaldbahnMunich–Innsbruck · 165 km	Germany	1,185
51	BrockenbahnWernigerode–Brocken · 34 km	Germany	1,125
52	Blue Mountains LineSydney–Lithgow · 156 km	Australia	1,067
53	DovrebanenOslo–Trondheim · 553 km	Norway	1,024

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What is the highest railway in the world?

The Qinghai–Tibet Railway in China, which crests at 5,072 m on the Tanggula Pass, higher than the summit of Mont Blanc. It is the highest point reached by any passenger railway, and its coaches are sealed and oxygen-enriched because of the altitude.

How high can you go by train in Europe?

3,454 m, at Jungfraujoch in Switzerland, where the Jungfraubahn ends in a station carved inside the mountain. It has held that record since 1912, and Europe's ceiling is more than a kilometre below Asia's (5,072 m).

How many railways run above 4,000 metres?

6 of the 53 lines ranked here climb above 4,000 m, and 11 above 3,000 m. Every one of the 4,000 m lines is in Asia or the Americas; no railway anywhere in Europe, Africa or Oceania reaches that height.

Which country has the most high-altitude railways?

Peru: 4 of the lines ranked here are Peruvian, and the Lima–Huancayo line crests at 4,781 m at Galera on ordinary adhesion track, with no rack rail to help it.