Lots of people are afraid of flying.
But have you ever met someone who's afraid of trains?
Sure, trains used to derail all the time way back in the day, but they're perfectly safe
now.
Or... are they?
"Traaaain!"
"oh, s---."
Keep watching at your own risk, because you may develop a deathly fear of trains yourself
once you get a look at the most dangerous railways in the world.
The one that goes backwards
The Devil's Nose is a train route that operates in Ecuador.
The route — which, according to Ecuador Train Journeys, killed around 2,000 workers
during construction — is famous not just for it's amazing scenic views, but for a steep
descent where the train actually goes backwards through a series of switchbacks.
And until recently, they actually allowed passengers to experience this while riding
on top of the train.
That's crazy!
The one with cyclones
Built in 1914, The Pamban Bridge spans a staggering 1.25 miles of ocean on the route between Channai
India, and Pamban Island.
It's also right in a major cyclone alley, and is frequently battered by wind, rain,
and even tidal surges.
In 1964, a storm struck a passenger train crossing the bridge.
The bridge was wrecked and the train overturned with an estimated 115 people on board.
There were no survivors, but the wreckage of the old bridge can still be seen by train
passengers.
The one on a volcano
Japan's Minamiaso Railway Takamori line boasts a unique claim to fame, as it crosses the
southern part of the caldera of Mount Aso, Japan's largest active volcano.
Yes, that's right, the train goes through an active volcano.
If that sounds like a bad idea, well, it is, as proven in 2016 when a series of devastating
earthquakes caused a landslide that destroyed the tracks.
Repairs aren't expected to be fully completed until 2021 at the earliest, which… is probably
just as well.
The one with no air
At its highest point, The Qinghai-Tibet Railway reaches a staggering 16,640 feet above sea
level: the highest point on the planet through which a train travels.
It's so high that the train has to supply oxygen to passengers.
At lower elevations, it's just pumped into the cabin, but higher up, passengers have
to wear oxygen tubes.
Don't worry, though, because each train has a resident doctor on board… just in case.
The one that goes vertical
The Pilatus Railway in Switzerland is the steepest cogwheel railway in the world.
Just how steep is it?
According to Pilatus' official website, the train runs up a staggering gradient of 48
percent on tracks that were first built in 1889.
Luckily, the railway's design prevents the cogwheels from climbing out of the rack, despite
the rails themselves being over 100 years old, and keeps the carriages from being thrown
over by the region's tremendously high-speed winds.
The one that's underwater
You might not expect to find a genuinely dangerous railway somewhere as innocuous as Devon, England.
But the train line runs right up against the English Channel, leaving trains often battered
by massive waves as they pass through.
In fact, back in February 2014, the sea wall itself was swept away, leaving rails dangling
in mid-air.
The line was closed for months as a result.
Yikes!
The one that crosses a runway
New Zealand's Napier-Gisborne Railway isn't particularly out of the ordinary for most
of its length.
But things get weird at the Gisborne Airport, where the train crosses an active runway.
When a train goes through, takeoffs and landings are put on hold, and vice versa, making it
quite likely that these are the only trains in the world which have part of their route
managed by air traffic controllers.
The really, really high one
Called the "Train to the Clouds," this Argentinian rail line earns the nickname.
One of the highest railways in the world, according to Argentina's tourist board, it
crosses no fewer than 29 bridges and 13 viaducts.
Perhaps the scariest is La Polvorilla Viaduct, which sits at 207 feet above the ground and
curves around 735 feet in length.
You should probably just close your eyes and hope they're on the ball when it comes to
track maintenance.
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