Would you be willing to travel on a train that spans a distance of 18,755 kilometres? I know I wouldn’t because even though I love to travel and bask in the beauty of my surroundings, I do not think I could stand sleeping in small beds and showering (and pooping) in a swaying stall for 22 days straight. But forget about me, what about you?
The opening of a new train line in Laos on December 3rd last year has now made travelling from Asia to Europe via train possible. The new line connects Vientiane to a Laotian border town called Boten — connecting the capital of Vientiane to Kunming, China. The establishment of the Vientiane-Boten line was the final link in the formation of the longest railway route in the world. This is a part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which costs US$ 6 billion.
When news that the final link was finally opened, train buffs around the world was so excited that they even planned out maps of the possible 22-days long journey. You can either start from Singapore in Asia and end at Portugal in Europe or vice versa. You would be going through 13 countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Mongolia in Asia and Poland, Belarus and Spain in Europe. Imagine that! Ticket prices might surprise you though because it is believed that a one-way trip would cost about US$ 744 and US$ 1,400 round-trip.
However, if you’re one who loves to see and explore the “gems” of countries you visit, a long train ride that allows countryside views or natural forests and such would be a great choice for you. Of course, this is not a single train ride that will bring you from the starting point to the finish line. Along the way, you might need to do some train hopping in different stations and maybe spend the night at some locations for the visas, paperwork and connecting trains. If you’re riding solo, maybe you could meet other people on the same trip with you on the train and if you’re going with a partner, maybe a long trip like this could further strengthen and enhance the positive side of your relationship.
Did you know that taking a train ride from Singapore to Portugal would help to significantly reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere as well?
A one-way flight from Singapore’s Changi Airport to Lisbon, Portugal would emit an estimated 1.67 tonnes of CO2 whereas the same start to finish point via train (or even bus) would only emit roughly 0.08 tonnes.
However, due to Covid-19, some of the train stops on the world’s longest train journey are not in operation. Since the world is tilting to announcing that Covid-19 is an endemic and restrictions will soon be lifted off, maybe many travellers would be able to experience this train journey soon. Right now, maybe we can start filling in the piggy bank!
Aliza M. is a content writer under Headliner by Newswav, a programme where content creators get to tell their unique stories through articles and at the same time monetize their content within the Newswav app.
Register at headliner.newswav.com to become one of our content writers now!
Newswav is solely an aggregation platform and hosts the content. The views expressed and content above including media (pictures, videos, etc) were provided by the author. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.
