World’s longest train journey would cover 12,000 miles across 13 countries over 21 days for £1,000…but Putin’s ruined it
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THE world's longest train journey that could have taken passengers 12,000 miles isn't actually possible - and Putin is to blame. The route of Portugal to Singapore would take a suggested 21 days, but passengers are currently deprived of it due to Putin's tyrannical war effort.
![[The theorised route would take passengers across 13 countries]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/top-50-italy-amalfi-coast-546672557.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
It would take commuters 11,653 miles across Europe, Siberia and Asia, but Russia's war with Ukraine has effectively shut it off from travel. The despot's conflict has meant that trains are not running from Western or Central Europe to Moscow, which would be where you pass through.
![[Mark Smith, known as The Man in Seat 61, unravelled the myth of the world's longest route]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/www-seat61-com-aboutme-htm-962388730.jpg?strip=all&w=235)
Passengers who wanted to spend months on a train, when adding in stop-offs, would begin in Lagos and finish in Moscow. All of this at the cost of around £1,000 seems too good to be true. Primarily, you cannot travel from Kyiv into Moscow due to the ongoing war.
Secondly, the route includes the rail transfers Paris Moscow and Moscow to Beijing. Both the Trans-Mongolian and Trans-Manchurian Moscow-Beijing trains have been cancelled since 2019. Thirdly, the journey isn't as simple as buying one ticket, it would involve buying about 20 different ones across multiple websites.
![[The suggested path faces several issues, including logistics and the fact that travel into Russia is prohibited]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/www-seat61-com-aboutme-htm-962388731.jpg?strip=all&w=264)
This would rely on all of those scheduled trains to run smoothly. Mark Smith, known as The Man in Seat 61, unravelled the myth by carefully explaining why this route isn't feasible. He told The Independent: “You don’t buy the ticket from a little bloke in a booth in Lagos, selling tickets to Singapore for a direct train leaving every Tuesday.
