The 10 Coolest Trains in the World

Trains aren't just a way to get from A to B. Some of them are engineering masterpieces, speed demons, or rolling luxury hotels. Here are the 10 that blow my mind the most.

Shanghai Maglev 🇨🇳

Shanghai, China

This train doesn't even touch the track — it floats on magnets! It reaches 431 km/h (268 mph) in regular service, making it the fastest operating train in the world.

🤯 Fun Fact: The 30 km journey from the airport to the city takes just 7 minutes and 20 seconds.

Shinkansen (Bullet Train) 🇯🇵

Japan

The train that started it all. Japan's Shinkansen has been running since 1964 and has never had a single fatal accident. The newest models hit 320 km/h and look like something from the future.

🤯 Fun Fact: The average delay across ALL Shinkansen trains is less than 1 minute per year. ONE MINUTE. PER YEAR.

Glacier Express 🇨🇭

Switzerland

Nicknamed "the slowest express train in the world," this train takes 8 hours to cross the Swiss Alps through 91 tunnels and over 291 bridges. But nobody's complaining — the views are unreal.

🤯 Fun Fact: The panoramic windows go up into the roof so you can see the mountain peaks above you.

TGV 🇫🇷

France

France's TGV holds the record for the fastest wheeled train ever — 574.8 km/h in a 2007 test run. In normal service, it cruises at 320 km/h and connects Paris to cities across Europe.

🤯 Fun Fact: At its record speed, the TGV was going faster than a Formula 1 car's top speed.

Trans-Siberian Railway 🇷🇺

Russia (Moscow to Vladivostok)

The longest railway line in the world: 9,289 km, crossing 8 time zones. The full journey takes about 6 days. You literally watch the landscape change from European forests to Siberian tundra to Pacific coast.

🤯 Fun Fact: The train crosses the same river (the Volga) twice — once near the start and once 3,000 km later.

Eurostar 🇬🇧🇫🇷

London to Paris/Brussels

Riding a train under the sea still hasn't gotten old. The Channel Tunnel is 50 km long and sits 75 metres below the seabed. The whole London-to-Paris trip takes just 2 hours 16 minutes.

🤯 Fun Fact: The tunnel was dug from both sides at the same time, and when the two sides met in the middle, they were off by only a few centimetres. Insane precision.

Rocky Mountaineer 🇨🇦

Canada

A glass-domed luxury train through the Canadian Rockies. You travel through mountain passes, along turquoise rivers, and past grizzly bears — all while eating a gourmet meal. Not a bad way to spend a Tuesday.

🤯 Fun Fact: The train only runs during daylight so you never miss the views. At night, you stop at a hotel.

Etihad Rail 🇦🇪

United Arab Emirates

The UAE's brand new national railway! When fully complete, it will connect all seven emirates and run 1,200 km across the country. It's being built right now — and since we live in Dubai, we'll get to ride it!

🤯 Fun Fact: The track crosses the desert, which means engineers had to figure out how to stop sand from burying the rails. They use special fences and desert-proof designs.

CHSR Maglev (L0 Series) 🇯🇵

Japan (under construction)

Japan isn't done innovating. The Chuo Shinkansen maglev hit 603 km/h in testing — faster than a commercial airplane at takeoff! When it opens, it'll cut Tokyo-to-Osaka from 2.5 hours to just 67 minutes.

🤯 Fun Fact: At 603 km/h, this train covers the length of a football field every 0.6 seconds.

The Ghan 🇦🇺

Australia (Adelaide to Darwin)

Named after Afghan camel drivers who explored Australia's outback, The Ghan runs 2,979 km through the red heart of Australia. You literally cross an entire continent north-to-south — desert, outback, and tropical north.

🤯 Fun Fact: The train is so long (sometimes over 1 km!) that the rear of the train is still at the platform when the front has already left the station.

What's YOUR favourite train? 🤔

I'm dying to ride the Glacier Express and the Rocky Mountaineer. There's something about trains + mountains + huge windows that just works. Let me know which one you'd pick — drop a comment on the YouTube video when it's up!

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