At 9,289 kilometres, the legendary Trans-Siberian is the longest single railway in the world. But it almost seems like a day trip, when compared to the longest train journey you can take: 18,755 km from Lagos in Portugal to Singapore, through the heart of Europe, Russia and the Far East.
It is a theoretical but actually practicable itinerary, put together piece by piece, like an intercontinental puzzle, by the enthusiasts of the MapPorn channel on the social network Reddit. Until recently, the furthest point of arrival reachable was Vietnam, for a total of 16,898 kilometres.
However, a high-speed line was recently inaugurated that connects Kunming in China to Ventiane, the capital of Laos: in this way it has become possible to reach Thailand without interruptions, pass through Bangkok and from there push all the way down to the end of the Malay peninsula, with Singapore as the terminus, and so the overall length of the itinerary has reached a new record.
The journey is made up of consecutive sections that wind through thirteen neighboring countries, touching Paris, Moscow and Beijing, but includes some transfers to move from one station to another to change lines.
According to train expert Mark Smith, who provided his consultancy in developing the route, it would take 21 days to travel the entire route, including night stops to deal with visas and bureaucratic procedures, while tickets would cost around 1200 euros.
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