The United States has the world's longest railway network, followed by China and India.
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The United States possesses the largest railway network in the world, in terms of total operating length. China and India trail behind as the second and third largest railway networks respectively. Detailed profiles of the top five railway networks worldwide, taking into consideration their extensive coverage.
It probably comes as no surprise that in a global 2019 survey of railroad efficiency, the top two places went to Japan and Hong Kong, with scores of 6.8 and 6.5 (out of seven) respectively.
Illinois is at the center of the nation's rail network. It has a comprehensive rail network consisting of approximately 9,982 miles of railroad tracks, 7,792 of which are operated by Class I railroads – primarily BNSF Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad (UP).
The longest regularly scheduled train in North America is Via Rail Canada's Canadian between Toronto and Vancouver, a distance of 2,775 miles (4,466 kilometers). The longest train in the USA is Amtrak's Texas Eagle between Chicago and Los Angeles via San Antonio, a distance of 2,728 miles (4,390 kilometers).
Princeton Branch or Dinky, USAReaching up to a tiny 2.7 miles of track from Princeton Northwest Junction to Princeton University, the Princeton Branch is the shortest railway line in the Grand ol' USA.
Grand Central Terminal is spread over 49 acres, has 44 platforms and 67 tracks on two levels. It is the world's largest train station by number of platforms and area occupied.
Pilatus Railway, SwitzerlandThe Pilatus Railway runs from Alpnachstad on Lake Alpnach to the Esel station near the summit of the 6,800-foot-high Mount Pilatus in the Swiss canton of Obwalden. It takes the crown as the world's steepest rack railway with a maximum gradient of 48 percent.
The new Acela will operate at top speeds of 160 mph vs. today's fleet, which operates at top speeds of 150 mph. Amtrak's new Acela fleet is scheduled to enter service on the NEC in 2024.
American railways were also built on a wider gauge (the distance between the rails), which allows for larger and heavier trains. As a result, American freight railways are much more efficient than their European counterparts, carrying almost three times as much cargo per mile of track.
THE VENICE SIMPLON-ORIENT-EXPRESSProbably 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.
China: Shanghai Maglev (268 mph)Similar to Japan's L0 Series, the Shanghai Maglev (also called the Shanghai Transrapid) is a magnetic levitation train that operates out of Shanghai, China.