TRAIN FACTS

Fastest passenger train The MagLev Chou Shinkanzen – a Japanese magnetic levitation train – broke the world speed record for a passenger train back in April. During a test run near Mt Fuji, this new breed of bullet train reached an incredible speed of 603km/h. The planned top speed in operation is 505km/h and it will ultimately connect Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, with the first stage opening in 2027.

Longest train journey The China-Europe Block Train travels 9977km from Yiwu to Madrid over 21 days. But train buffs who have made the Trans Siberian trip needn’t feel miffed, as this is a decidedly unglamorous freight service designed to cut up to two weeks off the sea freight time between the two cities. Longest and heaviest train Australian-based BHP Billiton intentionally set the record in 2001 over a 275km distance in Western Australia. The 7.35km-long train comprised 683 freight cars carrying iron ore and eight locomotives, distributed along its length. The total weight of the train was 99,735 tonnes.