A bunch of eager travellers and train enthusiasts have calculated what they say is the longest possible continuous train journey in the world.
After the opening of a new train line in Laos earlier this month, it is now theoretically possible to travel from Portugal to Singapore entirely by train. The new railway line connects Kunming, China to Vientiane, Laos.
According to EuroNews, the geniuses behind this journey are unidentified Reddit users, an online communication platform, who had some help from rail expert Mark Smith from seat61.com.
This trip totals 8,755km, and would take 21 days. Some parts of the journey will require passengers to move between cities to catch their next train, and others will mean passengers have to stay overnight in some cities before the next train’s departure. So, not exactly smooth sailing, but doable, and definitely adventurous.
Map: Epic Maps/Twitter
Travelling this distance by train also means a significantly smaller carbon footprint than flying. A one-way flight from Lisbon Portugal to Changi Airport in Singapore would emit an estimated 1.67 tonnes of CO2 equivalents, according to EuroNews. This train trip will only emit about 0.08 tonnes.
But how much will this eco-friendly road trip cost a potential train traveller? All tickets will amount to around €1,200 (about R21,840), but we bet it’s worth seeing 13 different countries along the way.
Picture: Unsplash
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