This article lists the highest railways in the world. The table only includes non-cable passenger railways whose culminating point is over 3,000 metres above sea level, regardless of their location, gauge or type.
For simplicity, absolute elevation is the only criterion of this list, though two places at exactly the same elevation above sea level can have drastically different topographic or climatic conditions. For example, the permanent snow line is located at sea level near the poles, at 3,000 metres in the Alps and at 6,000 metres in some areas of the Andes and the Himalayas. The tree line also depends on latitude, thus making comparisons between elevations difficult on a world scale. At high altitudes, snow, cold, wind and harsh weather conditions make construction and maintenance an expensive challenge.
Before the opening of the Qinghai–Tibet Railway in China, currently the highest in the world, the highest three railways were located in the Andean countries of Peru and Bolivia. In the Alps, the Jungfrau Railway has the particularity of reaching an elevation that is higher than the local snow line.
For a list by country, without elevation cutoff, see List of highest railways by country.
| Railway line | Highest point | Highest elevation | Country | Opened | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5068abbr=onNaNabbr=on[1] | 2006 | |||||
| Galera Summit Tunnel | 4783abbr=onNaNabbr=on[2] [3] | 1893 | Highest railway in the Americas | |||
| 4786abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||||||
| La Raya | 4313abbr=onNaNabbr=on | |||||
| Pikes Peak Summit | 4301m (14,111feet)[4] | 1891 / 2017, 2021 | Highest railway in North America. Reopened in 2021 [5] | |||
| 4220abbr=onNaNabbr=on | | 1948 | "Tren a las Nubes" tourist service between San Antonio de los Cobres and La Polvorilla | |||
| Quito-Guayaquil | Urbina | 36090NaN0 | 1908 | Reopened 2011 | ||
| Lanzhou–Xinjiang High-Speed Railway | Qilianshan No.2 Tunnel | 36080NaN0 | 2014 | Highest high-speed railway | ||
| 34540NaN0[6] | 1912 | Highest railway in Europe, underground above 2,350 m.[7] | ||||
| 34140NaN0 | Highest Adhesion railway in North America | |||||
| 30900NaN0 | 1898 | Highest open-air railway in Europe | ||||
| 3054m (10,020feet) | 1881 | Highest narrow gauge railroad in North America |
| Railway line | Highest point | Highest elevation | Country | Opened / closed | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salta–Antofagasta | Abra Chorrillos | 44750NaN0 | 1948 | Freight only, formerly also a passenger railway. Actually only takes passengers till La Polvorilla | ||
| Arica–La Paz | General Lagos | 42570NaN0 | | 1913 / 2005 | ||
| Antofagasta-La Paz | Ascotán | 39560NaN0 | | 1873 | Freight only, formerly also a passenger railway | |
| Alpine Tunnel | 3512abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 1882 / 1910 | ||||
| Los Caracoles | 3176abbr=onNaNabbr=on | | 1910 / 1984 | |||
| 3116abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 1881 / 1997 | Out of service. Can be reactivated if traffic permits. |