In this episode we explore the history of train travel across Bolivia, travelling from Brazil’s Pantanal to the Pacific coast of Chile. Since the 1860s, Bolivia has lost land to all its surrounding countries. As a peace offering, both Chile and Brazil offered Bolivia access to the coast via railways. But with a failing railway system and rainy season causing landslides, our battle in this episode is with the Andean terrain, not the surrounding countries. Time is immaterial; a safe arrival is our only goal.
Russia’s trains travel along 85,500km of track, crossing 11 time zones. In the cold and often brutal Russian winters, these trains persist against the freezing weather, travelling into Siberia and beyond. We travel from the capital city of Moscow and head north to Stalin’s cruellest and most ambitious project – the Rail-road of Death – before ending on the world’s most northern railway. With average temperatures around -20/-30 degrees and ice at every turn, there’s nothing easy about Russian trains.
Starting his journey in the north of Vietnam, Zay Harding discovers that the railway has played a vital role in the recent history of the country. On his way to Hanoi, he meets Mr. Trinh, an ex-train driver who experienced the US bombing firsthand during the Vietnam War: major repairs were needed after each bombing and, nearly 40 years later, Vietnam's railways are still in need of serious upgrades. Jumping off the main north-south railway, or 'Reunification Express' train in Hue, Zay helps a construction team repair one of the tunnels en-route. After visiting the demilitarized zone (DMZ) and the national cemetery commemorating the people who gave their lives to reunify the country, Zay continues his journey south on this line all the way to Ho Chi Minh City, where he meets a General who was leading the final attack on the Presidential Palace, in what was then Saigon.
India is famous for its extensive British built railway system, but riding a train here is anything but British. India’s 40,000 miles of railway track cut through some of the most densely populated cities, in the nation of 1.2 billion people. At least 1,000 people die when they fall from crowded coaches, when trains collide or coaches derail. But this is festival season. Trains are overcrowded, even by India’s standards and timetables are met with distrust. We travel across northern India, crossing from Nepal and heading west to the border with Pakistan.
In this episode, host Ian Wright goes on an eye-opening and hair-raising train journey across the Caribbean island of Cuba. The Communist country’s railway network is dilapidated and very unreliable, but it’s a fantastically enjoyable trip.
Exploring the rich history of railroads in the USA this episode takes us on an incredible 3000 mile journey across America. Traveling from the Atlantic to the Pacific, through 4 time zones and 12 states we experience some of the most epic landscapes and stunning scenery that North America has to offer.
