Scenic route
Belles montagnes et mer
Johana → Himi · Japan
“Beautiful mountains and sea”: an emerald art-gallery railcar where a sushi chef works the counter as Amaharashi bay frames 3,000-metre Tateyama across the water.
How this line was checked
- Line drawn from 2 OpenStreetMap relations, their own nodes end to end: relation 1871689 (30 km), relation 19228581 (16 km) — 46 km of the route between them
- Checked against OpenStreetMap: the whole line lies on real track, a median 3 m from it
- The operator publishes this line's timetable: JR West — a place to look it up, not a check of our drawing
- Wikipedia has an article for this line
- See for yourself: open this line on the map with OpenStreetMap's own railway drawn underneath it
Questions and answers
How long is the Belles montagnes et mer?
The Belles montagnes et mer runs 46 km from Johana to Himi.
How long does the Belles montagnes et mer take?
The fastest scheduled journey is ~1 h 45 min for the 46 km. That is an average of 26 km/h end to end. The line's top service speed is 85 km/h.
Who runs the Belles montagnes et mer?
JR West, with KiHa 40-2027.
How old is the Belles montagnes et mer?
The line has been in service since 2015. That is the year the atlas dates it from: for a modern brand running over an older railway, it is the railway's date, not the brand's.
More scenic routes
- Glacier Express
“The world’s slowest express”: 291 bridges, 91 tunnels and the 2,033 m Oberalp Pass at an average of 36 km/h.
Wikipedia ↗ - Bernina Express
A UNESCO World Heritage railway: 7 % grades with no rack, the Brusio spiral, and the highest rail crossing of the Alps at 2,253 m.
Wikipedia ↗ - Bergensbanen
Northern Europe’s highest main line: over the bare Hardangervidda plateau at 1,237 m, through 182 tunnels.
Wikipedia ↗ - West Highland Line
Regularly voted the world’s most scenic railway: around Rannoch Moor and over the 21-arch Glenfinnan Viaduct of film fame.
Wikipedia ↗
More train routes in Japan.