World's top 25 train trips

Courtesy: Reuters The United States and Mexico gave way to Norway and Britain this year on The Society of International Railway Travelers' (IRT) annual list of The World's Top 25 Trains Trips. The list is based on the experience of IRT writers, editors, members and staff, with all trains and the trips meeting stringent standards for service, accommodation, scenery, itinerary, off-train experiences and passenger enjoyment. Here is the list of the top 25 in geographical order: Location: Canada Royal Canadian Pacific Location: Canada The Royal Canadian Pacific takes you through some of the most rugged, inaccessible and spectacular terrain in the world along the historic Canadian Pacific Railway lines. Rocky Mountaineer Location: Canada Canada's Rocky Mountains aboard the Rocky Mountaineer numbers among the world's greatest train rides. Canada's famous tour train offers a unique vacation experience. Wide-eyed passengers press against panoramic dome windows as the Rocky Mountaineer tour train slices through the glacial wilderness of the majestic Canadian Rockies. Andean Explorer Location: Peru "The Andean Explorer is exquisitely decorated in the fine manner of the great Pullman trains of the 1920s and boasts a full fleet of refurbished coaches including dining cars and an open-air observation bar car, which is unique in South America.” Hiram Bingham Location: Peru The Hiram Bingham train is the most luxurious way to journey between Cusco and Machu Picchu. The carriages are painted a distinctive blue and gold while interiors are luxurious, warm and inviting with elegant decoration in the style of the 1920's Pullman trains. Blue Train Location: South Africa It is the most luxurious train in the world! Travel in style on the world renowned luxurious Blue Train to exotic destinations and fine hotels in Southern Africa. The Blue Train provides contemporary luxury and 24 hour service. It has been voted the “world’s leading luxury train” at the World Travel Awards for four years running. Pride of Africa (Rovos Rail) Location: South Africa Rovos Rail's Pride of Africa offers an old-world elegance and luxury to a degree that was never equaled in the 1920s. Rovos Rail offer an excellent selection of tours on one of the most luxurious trains in the world. Palace on Wheels Location: India One of the best five luxury trains in the world, it offers complete tour of Rajasthan in total luxury. The tour covers all the major destinations in Rajasthan that exhibit the best of architectural and cultural heritage. It is a 7 night tour that operates weekly from Delhi between the months of September to April every year. Eastern & Oriental Express Location: SE Asia The Eastern & Oriental Express carries passengers in luxury between Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. The train travels through dense rainforests and towering mountains past golden temples, rubber plantations and remote towns and villages. Shangri-La Express Location:China/Tibet The Shangri-La Express guarantees you good living even in the remotest places. Our twin-berth cabins are the perfect private retreat, comfortably furnished and traditionally decorated with the varnished wood and brass reminiscent of a different age. Toy Train Location: India Toy Trains, as per their names, are much smaller in size than the usual trains. One of the toy trains that take a round trip on the Kalka Shimla track everyday is the Shivalik Deluxe Express. Deccan Odyssey Location: India The Deccan Odyssey is the newest luxury train of India. If the Palace On wheels is a gem for Rajasthan and Agra tour, Deccan Odyssey is regarded yet another jewel of the Indian railways and rightly so it is known as the Palace On Wheels of Maharashtra. Danube Express Location: Central Europe, Turkey The Danube Express Train is Central Europe's ultimate luxury hotel on wheels, offering a very sophisticated and relaxing way to travel to some of the most enticing destinations. British Pullman Location: Great Britain This is the Orient-Express British Pullman, the most stately of trains. El Transcantabrico Location: Spain El Transcantabrico is a train that revives the tradition of cruises on rails. Whether from Santiago de Compostela to Leon, or vice versa, all the magic of northern Spain awaits you. Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express Location: Russia The Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express, a fully en-suite private train, is ready to take off to serve the world's longest railway line. Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Location: Europe The Venice Simplon-Orient Express is a private luxury train service traveling from London to Venice that is popularly referred to as the Orient Express. Glacier Express Location: Switzerland The Glacier Express is an express train which connect the two major mountain resorts of St Moritz and Zermatt in the Swiss Alps using different railroad lines. It is not an "express" in the sense of being a high-speed train but rather in the sense that it provides a one-seat ride for a long duration travel. Bernina Express Location: Switzerland The Bernina Express is an express train which connects or Davos to Poschiavo and Tirano crossing the Swiss Alps from north to south, using the Albula / Bernina Line. The trip on the Bernina Express is a 4 hour railway journey across 196 bridges, through 55 tunnels and across the Bernina Pass on the highest point at 2,253 metres in altitude. Royal Scotsman Location: Scotland The Royal Scotsman is a Scottish luxury charter train run by Orient-Express Hotels Ltd.The train is composed of nine cars; two dining cars, five state cars, one crew car, and one observation car. The two dining cars are named 'Victory' and 'Raven' with seating for sixteen and twenty people respectively. Flam Railway Location: Norway The Flam Railway is one of the worlds steepest railway lines on normal gauge.  It passes through the beautiful narrow Flam valley and is regarded as a masterpiece of Norwegian engineering. Bergen Railway Location: Norway The Bergen Line, also called the Bergen Railway, is a 371 kilometres (231 mi) standard gauge railway line between Bergen and Hønefoss, Norway. Ghan Location: Australia Indian Pacific Location: Australia The Indian Pacific is a twice-weekly passenger rail service running between Perth and Sydney, Australia operated by Great Southern Railway, with locomotives provided by Pacific National, usually led by an NR class. Sunlander Location: Australia The Sunlander, voted Australia's number one rail journey and one of the top 25 rail journey's in the world, weaves its way along Queensland's incredible.