Joseph T
Member
Factors such as fuel, traffic, signalling, loading and track gauges (so long as all the lines are fully contiguous) won't count.
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What's the theoretically furthest distance a train can travel without stopping to reverse or get carried between disconnected lines?
- Thread starter Joseph T
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Gloster
Established Member
If you mean how far from the UK can you get, then I think you can get up Narvik or down to Bandar Abbas in Iran, if you accept, in the latter case using the Van ferry. If the ferry is not allowed, then I think it would be Kars in Turkey. Or you could try going round and round the Circle Line.
If you do allow gauge changing, then it would probably be Nakhodka Port.
If you do allow gauge changing, then it would probably be Nakhodka Port.
StephenHunter
Established Member
Does the Trans-Siberian Railway have any reversals?
Joseph T
Member
I don't think so. My question is about the theoretically longest non stop trip on contiguous lines as opposed to the longest existing train services.Does the Trans-Siberian Railway have any reversals?
The trip to Iran has a few reversals. I have done it in 2009, so memories aren't exactly fresh anymore. But I'm at least sure that you need to reverse to get into Tatvan port.If you mean how far from the UK can you get, then I think you can get up Narvik or down to Bandar Abbas in Iran, if you accept, in the latter case using the Van ferry.
Now that I think of it, Bucuresti Nord is a stub station, so we reversed there too. As is Budapest Keleti. But for those two, it's probably possible to circumvent that.
Gloster
Established Member
Tatvan is a terminus, but there is at least one hindrance to even getting that far. It would be possible to take some indirect routes in Europe to avoid reversal, so the furthest I can get without gauge-changing is Dogukapi on the Turkish-Armenian border; I have checked the obvious locations where there could be a reversal, but not checked exhaustively.
At Nakhodka it looks as though passenger trains, presumably local ones, continue on to a station called Faza. I think that this is the last passenger station, although the tracks continue on in two directions for another kilometre or so, but they look like goods only ones.
At Nakhodka it looks as though passenger trains, presumably local ones, continue on to a station called Faza. I think that this is the last passenger station, although the tracks continue on in two directions for another kilometre or so, but they look like goods only ones.
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Entirely on one gauge i think it would probably be Katowice in Poland to Rason in North Korea which can be done entirely on broad gauge without reversing.
If you allow gauge changing trains (and installed the relevant infrastructure) then it would probably be either Wick in Scotland or Lagos in Portugal to one of the stations on the three lines in North Korea that almost reach the South Korea border. So probably either Kaesong in the West part of the NK/SK border or Pyonggang in the Central part of the NK/SK border or Kosong in the the East part of the NK/SK border. You would go through Russia on this journey. This journey is perfectly possible without reversing. You would go from standard gauge to broad gauge and then back to standard gauge and dual gauge track exists at both changeover points.
I am not sure if this is as far but it would also be possible with a gauge changing train to go from Wick in Scotland or Lagos in Portugal all the way to Dhaka in Bangladesh or Sabroom in India or Tinsukia in India (whichever is further) without reversing. You would go through Russia and Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan and Iran on the way. You would go from standard gauge to broad gauge to standard gauge to broad gauge and dual gauge track exists at all changeover points.
It is almost possible to do Wick in Scotland or Lagos in Portugal all the way to Singapore if it was not for the small gap in Laos that exists. The standard gauge line and narrow gauge line come very close in Vientiane to the point where they are a three minute walk from each other on the opposite sides of a road. But there is no actual dual gauge track or any possibility for a gauge changing train to get between the two lines.
If you allow gauge changing trains (and installed the relevant infrastructure) then it would probably be either Wick in Scotland or Lagos in Portugal to one of the stations on the three lines in North Korea that almost reach the South Korea border. So probably either Kaesong in the West part of the NK/SK border or Pyonggang in the Central part of the NK/SK border or Kosong in the the East part of the NK/SK border. You would go through Russia on this journey. This journey is perfectly possible without reversing. You would go from standard gauge to broad gauge and then back to standard gauge and dual gauge track exists at both changeover points.
I am not sure if this is as far but it would also be possible with a gauge changing train to go from Wick in Scotland or Lagos in Portugal all the way to Dhaka in Bangladesh or Sabroom in India or Tinsukia in India (whichever is further) without reversing. You would go through Russia and Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan and Iran on the way. You would go from standard gauge to broad gauge to standard gauge to broad gauge and dual gauge track exists at all changeover points.
It is almost possible to do Wick in Scotland or Lagos in Portugal all the way to Singapore if it was not for the small gap in Laos that exists. The standard gauge line and narrow gauge line come very close in Vientiane to the point where they are a three minute walk from each other on the opposite sides of a road. But there is no actual dual gauge track or any possibility for a gauge changing train to get between the two lines.
I think the Iranians have not built a gauge change facility in Zahedan yet. The two tracks, normal and Indian gauge, co-exist in Zahedan station, but apparently with no connection between them.I am not sure if this is as far but it would also be possible with a gauge changing train to go from Wick in Scotland or Lagos in Portugal all the way to Dhaka in Bangladesh or Sabroom in India or Tinsukia in India (whichever is further) without reversing. You would go through Russia and Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan and Iran on the way. You would go from standard gauge to broad gauge to standard gauge to broad gauge and dual gauge track exists at all changeover points.