Europe is a popular tourist destination because of its roads and fantastic rail routes. Throughout Europe, the railway frequently goes through valleys, attractive villages, towns, and bridges of excellent architecture. Trains that are totally powered by electricity and may be deployed in any area. The Alps are a high mountain region in Europe with some of the highest railways in the world. There are various high-altitude railways, as well as well-known tourist train lines, in Switzerland, France, and Spain.
The Jungfrau Railway, located in the Alps mountain range, is Europe’s tallest railway. Some part of the track is installed by the rack, and a 1,000 mm gauge track. Jungfraujoch is the highest peak in the Bernese Oberland and the station of the Jungfrau railway.
Gornergrat is the second highest railway in the world, and it is located at the Gornergrat’s last station. The Gornergrat’s peak is reached via the Gornergrat rack railway (a rocky ridge in the Pennine Alps). The Gornergrat railway, built with a rack railway, is Europe’s tallest open-air railway. The Zugspitze, at 2,650 meters, is the third highest peak in the Zugspitze range, and it is located just below the Zugspitze peak’s top.
The following are the world’s tallest railways, all of which are above 1800 meters above sea level. The Pilatus railway is the world’s steepest rack railway, covering 4.6 kilometers from Alpnachstad to the terminal.
| Rank | Railway | Highest Point | Country | Height |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jungfrau | Jungfraujoch | Switzerland | 3,454 m (11,332 ft) |
| 2 | Gornergrat | Gornergrat | Switzerland | 3,090 m (10,138 ft) |
| 3 | Zugspitze | Schneefernerhaus | Germany | 2,650 m (8,694 ft) |
| 4 | Mont Blanc | Nid d'Aigle | France | 2,372 m (7,782 ft) |
| 5 | Bernina | Ospizio Bernina | Switzerland, Italy | 2,253 m (7,392 ft) |
| 6 | Brienz–Rothorn | Brienz–Rothorn | Switzerland | 2,244 m (7,362 ft) |
| 7 | Riffelalp | Riffelalp Resort | Switzerland | 2,222 m (7,290 ft) |
| 8 | Furka Cogwheel Steam | Furka railway station | Switzerland | 2,163 m (7,096 ft) |
| 9 | Pilatus | Pilatus | Switzerland | 2,073 m (6,801 ft) |
| 10 | Lauterbrunnen–Kleine Scheidegg–Grindelwald | Kleine Scheidegg | Switzerland | 2,061 m (6,762 ft) |
| 11 | Andermatt–Chur | Oberalp Pass | Switzerland | 2,043 m (6,703 ft) |
| 12 | Montreux–Glion–Rochers-de-Naye | Rochers de Naye | Switzerland | 1,968 m (6,457 ft) |
| 13 | Schynige Platte | Schynige Platte | Switzerland | 1,967 m (6,453 ft) |
| 14 | Vall de Nuria | Nuria | Spain | 1,964 m (6,444 ft) |
| 15 | Artouste | Station d'Artouste | France | 1,940 m (6,365 ft) |
| 16 | Montenvers | Hotel du Montenvers | France | 1,913 m (6,276 ft) |
| 17 | Les Montuires–Emosson | Les Montuires | Switzerland | 1,822 m (5,978 ft) |
| 18 | Albula | Albula Tunnel | Switzerland | 1,820 m (5,971 ft) |
| 19 | Cercedilla-Cotos | Cotos Railway station | Spain | 1,818 m (5,965 ft) |
| 20 | Bex–Villars–Bretaye | Bretaye | Switzerland | 1,806 m (5,925 ft) |
Interesting facts:
- The Alps are a massive mountain range with hundreds of trains running through it.
- Over a hundred railways run over 1,000 metres. Only the Jungfrau and Gornergrat railways are over 3,000 metres.
- Due to the difficulty of building tracks in hilly terrain, several railway routes were built underground.
- Snowdrift and the seasonal snow, which occurs at 2,000 to 3,000 metres in the Alps, make it impossible to run the train.
- Outside of the Alps, the Vall de Nuria railway is the highest in the Pyrenees mountain range.
- Switzerland is home to many, even the top 11 of the highest railways located in Switzerland.
