The World's Scariest Train Rides
Minami Aso Railways, Japan
The Ride: The soaring (and occasionally smoking) peak of Mount
Aso—Japan’s most active volcano—looms beside the track of this route through the
southerly region of Kumamoto. Primarily a sightseeing ride for spring and summer visitors, the
journey is even more arresting in early November, when the mountain’s forested foothills are
ablaze in magma-hot colors.
Georgetown Loop Railroad, Colorado
The Ride: In the late 19th century, when the northwestern corner of Colorado
was rife with silver mines, the narrow-gauge steam train was simply a commuter route (albeit a
hairy one, with four bridges over Clear Creek and steep horseshoe curves). The scariest of the
bunch is Devil’s Gate High Bridge,
partly because of its 100-foot drop, and partly because of how slowly the train wheezes across
it.
Chennai-Rameswaram Route, India
The Ride: Short of hailing a helicopter or paddleboat, the only way to get from
India’s southeastern coast to the island of Rameswaram is by rail—a pulse-raising trek
across Pamban Bridge, a circa 1914, 1.4-mile-long sea trestle that runs right through the heart of
cyclone territory.
White Pass & Yukon Route, Alaska
The Ride: Built during the Klondike Gold Rush in 1898, this narrow-gauge steam
train now ferries thrill-seeking tourists rather than panners and diggers. More than 450,000
visitors per year make the cliff-clinging journey, which chugs up 3,000 feet in 20 miles, and which
has been deemed an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.
Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway, England
The Ride: The epitome of short and sweet, the Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff
Railway delivers on its name, pulling you roller-coaster style up the 500-foot cliff that spans
these two southwesterly coastal towns. Eco-fueled by water since 1888, each car holds 40 people and
weighs 10 tons when fully packed.
Tren a las Nubes, Argentina
The Ride: Though this train route connecting Salta (in north-central Argentina)
to La Polvorilla (on the Chilean border) was approved for construction in 1921, the nearly
impenetrable Andean terrain kept it from completion until 1948. Take the journey yourself, and
you’ll see why laying the track was so challenging: it passes through 21 tunnels, across 13
viaducts, and around numerous spirals and zigzags.
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, New
Mexico
The Ride: This rail route has elicited oohs and aahs since 1880, when it was
forged as the Rio Grande Railroad’s San Juan Extension. Departing from the far-north town of
Chama, the train crosses teetering trestles, clings to narrow ledges over the 800-foot Toltec
Gorge, and winds over 10,015-foot Cumbres Pass (the highest mountain pass reached by rail in the
United States).
Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe Train, South
Africa
The Ride: This Garden Route train’s scariest episode occurred during its
construction in 1908, when a temporary wood bridge collapsed into the Great Brak River (bringing a
locomotive with it). Though it’s a much sturdier operation these days, you’ll still
catch your breath crossing the Indian Ocean on the 118-foot-high Kaaimans Bridge. The rest of the
journey, which brings you past picturesque resort towns, the St. Blaize lighthouse, and the roaring
Gwaiing and Malgate rivers, is more soothing.
Argo Gede Train, Indonesia
The Ride: On the three-hour ride from Jakarta’s Gambir station to Bandung
(the “Paris of Java”), you’ll wind through emerald-green mountains, deep river
valleys…and across sky-high Cikurutug Bridge. The train slid off its tracks here in
2002—although, thankfully, no one was injured. Since then the railway authorities have amped
up their commitment to passenger safety.
Kuranda Scenic Railway, Australia
The Ride: The railway has “Scenic” in its name, but
“Vertiginous” could also have made the cut. Carved into the dense tropical rainforest
in the late 1800s, the Kuranda crosses dramatic trestles, winds past gushing waterfalls, and
traverses the sea-deep Barron Gorge National Park in the hour and 45 minutes it takes to get from
Cairns to Kuranda. The train runs three times daily, 364 days a year (excluding
Christmas—apparently Santa and scary don’t mix).
