Expert unravels the myth behind the world’s ‘longest train journey’
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‘Don’t bother chasing this elusive concept of the longest train journey,’ said international rail expert Mark Smith. With tourists seeking more sustainable travel options for 2025, there are eyes on the tracks for the most remarkable rail adventures this year – but is the “world’s longest train journey” a ride you can actually take?.
The route has been theorised as a 21-day trip from Lagos on Portugal’s Algarve coast to Singapore at a cost of around £1,000. Mark Smith, known as The Man in Seat 61, has unravelled the myth of the 13-country rail journey as complete fiction on a route littered with logistical impossibilities and political obstacles.
“If it were possible, and it isn’t, you, it would be about 20 different separate tickets for 20 different separate trains bought on 15 different websites, all for regular scheduled trains.”. Along the proposed route, rail transfers would include Paris to Moscow and Moscow to Beijing.
The international rail guru explained that due to the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia and travel in the aftermath of the pandemic, trains are not running from western or Central Europe to Moscow. As a result, the suspension of frequent departures between Moscow and Beijing means the proposed route is “not viable” at the moment.
