NO LONGER POSSIBLE! Longest train journey in the world and how it has changed since 2019.

While self-isolating due to a Covid-19 scare, I checked out the website www.vimeo.com for inspiration. I decided to condense my 16-part series on KZbin, lasting 3 hours, into a 15 minute highlight video. Unfortunately the video exceeded the 500MB free allowance. As most subscribers to Planes, Trains, Everything have joined after the 2019 series of videos were uploaded, I have decided to show the 15-minute version and also discuss, at the end, why this journey can't be done until the pandemic is over, and what changes will take place.
*** TIMESTAMPS:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:28 Faro
00:00:47 Lisbon
00:01:27 Hendaye
00:01:47 Paris
00:02:25 Cologne
00:02:57 Berlin
00:03:17 Warsaw
00:03:55 Minsk
00:04:32 Moscow
00:07:06 Irkutsk
00:07:56 Ulaanbaatar
00:09:27 Beijing
00:10:27 Shanghai
00:10:57 Nanning
00:11:49 Hanoi
00:13:47 Ho Chi Minh City
*** FOLLOW ME AT:
Web: www.planestrainseverything.com
Twitter: @planestrainsev1
Facebook: / planestrainseverything
Instagram: / planestrainseverything
*** FULL LENGTH VIDEOS
PART 1: Vila Real de S.A.-Faro-Lisbon. • PART 1: Vila Real de S...
PART 2: Lisbon - Hendaye - Paris including Trenhotel overnight Portugal-Spain train and TVG. • PART 2: Lisbon - Henda...
PART 3: Paris - Cologne - Berlin including Thalys. • PART 3: Paris - Cologn...
PART 4: Berlin to Warsaw. • PART 4 - Berlin to War...
PART 5: Warsaw-Grodna (Grodno/Hrodna) - Minsk. A scare at the Belarus border. • PART 5 - Warsaw-Grodna...
PART 6: Minsk, Belarus to Moscow. • PART 6: Minsk, Belarus...
PART 7: Moscow & Trans Siberian Railway. • PART 7 - Moscow & Tran...
PART 8: Trans Siberian Railway to Irkutsk. • Part 8 - Trans Siberia...
PART 9: Lake Baikal and Slyudyanka. • PART 9 - Lake Baikal, ...
PART 10: Irkutsk to Ulaanbaatar by Trans Mongolian Railway. • PART 10 - Irkutsk to U...
PART 11: Ulaanbaatar to Beijing across the Gobi Desert and border crossing to China. • PART 11: Ulaanbaatar t...
PART 12: Beijing to Shanghai by Chinese high speed train. • PART 12: Beijing to Sh...
PART 13: Shanghai to Nanning in 11 hours by Chinese high speed train. • PART 13: CHINESE HIGH ...
PART 14: Nanning to Hanoi by train including overnight border crossing into Vietnam. • PART 14: Nanning to Ha...
PART 15: Hanoi & Reunification Express including overnight train. • PART 15: Hanoi & Reuni...
PART 16: Reunification Express to Ho Chi Minh City. • PART 16: Reunification...
*** MUSIC:
Vila Real de S.A. - Cologne
Palmtrees by Scandinavianz / scandinavianz Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported - CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: bit.ly/_palmtrees Music promoted by Audio Library • Palmtrees - Scandinavi...
Cologne - Moscow
Living by PIKASONIC / pika5onic Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported - CC BY 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/b... Music promoted by Audio Library • Living - PIKASONIC (No...
Moscow - Ulaanbaatar
Discolored by ZAYFALL / zayfallmusic Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported - CC BY 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/b... Music promoted by Audio Library • Discolored - ZAYFALL (...
Ulaanbaatar - Nanning
Maldives by Roman Müller @romanmuellermusic Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs
Nanning - Ho Chi Minh City
Motion (Official) by Ikson / ikson www.iksonmusic.com

[@chrisrobinson560]

I did the journey from Manchester to Singapore in 2009 Man to London to Amsterdam to Berlin to Warsaw to Moscow trans Mongolian from Moscow to Beijing via Ulan Bator , Beijing to Kowloon , ferry to Macau then ferry to mainland train then down Vietnam as far as Ho chi min city then a bus to Phnom pen ,a old rattler train sat on a crate in a goods van to battembang then train to Bangkok then another to Kuala Lumpur before last train to Singapore

[@quycuongbui5721]

would you mind sharing how long does it take to go for that journey? thanks :)

[@terryosullivan2620]

Great trip ,please please share details.

[@buddybuddy5170]

Once again, big salute to your epic journey!👍🎆✨ A few comments: - the End to End playlist seems out of order. It would be more convenient to have them in order. - wonder if you still have the material left on the cutting floor, so to speak. To watch expanded version of each segment would be great! Your personal presence and observation certainly added to the charm. - for your next epic journey: Singapore, Thailand, Laos, China, middle Asia, Iran, Turkey, Glasgow! Having both Eastern Orient Express and Classic Orient Express in one go. Thanks for sharing your great adventure, Scott! Stay safe and hit the rail again soon! 💪🚄🚞🚃

[@PeachShortcake_]

I just found your channel and I am OBSESSED!!! I love it so much, thank you for all your hard work and dedication in bringing us amazing content 🥰🥰

[@pierrecaron8731]

Fantastic vidéo. I watch all your vidéos but I don't always leave a comment but I do enjoy them all. Thank you and have a great new year.

[@marygarner5249]

So do Look Forward to your videos always great time thank you so much for taking us along 💟💟💟💟

[@MrScotia]

Great vid. It's a real shame this route can't be done anymore. You probably did this route quicker than my daily route from Balloch to Partick lol

[@marygarner5249]

So glad you are doing well 💟💟

[@markcollinson5665]

Love your videos Scott. I'm ill with a viral infection at the moment which doesn't seem to be going, but your videos are keeping me going.

[@terryosullivan2620]

Great video Scott, Thats a great trip you did. Would love tgat one. Pleaseput the whole trip up. Thanks again.

[@stanislavkostarnov2157]

you can still do the version of it, via Istanbul-Baku-Port-Schevchenko-Samarkand-Beijing... different sort of countryside, but still across all of Asia, most of it (8 days) in a single soviet-era train car.

[@chuckbradley1]

Absolutely amazing!!

[@terryosullivan2620]

Scott .What a epic trip great on ye. , even the dodgy bike tour at the end. Thanks for doing tge trip. God Bless.

[@ronalddailey5208]

Great job on the video.

[@ronalddailey5208]

Great your all right. Welcome back.

[@jamesdoyle8442]

Scott your videos are. Brilliant mate 👍👍👍

[@colin.d]

Perhaps you could investigate what remains or has been reinstated of the famous Orient Express?

[@marc21091]

Brilliant. And unlike the claims of travelling through to Singapore, Scott's great journey is wholly by train - no buses or ferries needed. Transfers in Paris, Moscow and Peking were all by Metro, so everything was by rail. One hopes that by 2030 the closed borders will be open again and the journey able to be made....though probably via Lisbon - Madrid with the end of the Lisbon-Hendaye overnight train.

[@EffMTee]

You are an inspiration and a legend

[@danielzuck143]

Danke!

[@theBusManiac]

Thanks

[@Kenbur]

Historical journey - historical video - enjoyed by many, myself included.

[@mikepowell2776]

So the last vestige of the Sud Express has gone. Travelled on that between Madrid (Charmartin) and Lisboa at beginning of century. Talgo even then. Shall also miss the Faro railcars - but not much! Brilliant video, thank you.

[@theBusManiac]

Truly inspirational journey, I enjoyed watching it thanks. It would have been nice to see some text on screen so could see where you were, but what sensational footage nonetheless thanks for sharing . Happy New Year!

[@khanhhung8959]

This video is so underrated!

[@rebeccahaddow7913]

Some cool trains and stunning scenery

[@crazyfroggie6546]

Amazing journey SCott, you're lucky to have experienced all that. And the superfast train in China.

[@jamesdoyle8442]

Nice one Scott. Again 👍👍😊

[@michelg2257]

I have seen the longest train journey series, i had a almost similar plan. from home to indonesia without flying. It's possible to skip Russia and travel trough the Balkan Turkey Georgia and the countries in central asia. Maybe it will be a nice challenge if everything is open again.

[@derekalexander846]

Great video - I done Moscow to Beijing a few years back; my mate done Edinburgh Haymarket to Hong Kong...

[@ricequin]

Your book is next to my bed and I’m going to take it on my upcoming stay in Glasgow for the World Science Fiction Convention.

[@danielt4250]

Hehe Ive subbed because of End-To-End and have still been here :)

[@YukariAkiyamaTanks]

I remember watching a documentary as a kid of the Paris To Hong Kong Orient Express in the 1980s. Journey of a life time you had Scott and im jealous

[@ntson911]

The train between Nanning (China) and GiaLam (Vietnam) is no longer available due to lack of passenger and some other reasons (economic trouble, Covid-19,....)

[@davidarundel6187]

Unfortunate, as it would have been a brilliant tri to do & I'm no train buff, just like them for travel. Good Health to you, thru the year. Namaste 🙏 💟

[@DiggingNorway]

Great idea!

[@Hispandinavian]

As an American, even a cross country trip across Amtrak feels like quite a chore. Unless you can get a sleeper, which is very expensive, it gets maddening after a while. Also you´re hardly ever going to be on time, because the train has to yield to freight train traffic causing one delay after anther. That long a trip, I would definitely step our for an overnight here and there and get a good walk around.

[@NEPATransitnTravel]

I found circling the country on the RailPass in coach was so much fun, but maybe I’m just nuts lol. The journey WAS the destination for me.

[@charleslemagne202]

The timestamps in the video description are incorrect.

[@katrinabryce]

I'm guessing you should be able to get to Istanbul by train somehow. Is there any way to get from there, south of the Black Sea, to China, by train? The options seem to be either via Georgia and Kazakhstan, or via Iran and one or more of the other Stans. Looks like it should be doable by road, but I'm not sure about rail.

[@joebloggs4369]

Lagos in Portugal to Singapore, following the opening of a new train line from China to Laos now, holds the record of 18,500 km or thereabouts

[@bobn450]

Good news..you can still travel between Ipswich and Cambridge!

[@papajock1950]

Scott, I've been following you since the Steve Marsh "Round Scotland" challenge. YT Suggested this video and, as a result, I watched all episodes of End to End, and then bought the book. I've thoroughly enjoyed both. The book has some genuine Laugh Out Loud moments. Is there any chance you could maybe do a video on the actual planning process for one of your trips. Back in 2001 I cycled the Channel to the Med through France and, looking back, a big part of the enjoyment was the planning of it.

[@send2gl]

That was epic

[@martinxu4499]

China-Laos railway had been done.You can take trains straight to Singapore!

[@reginstravels]

There is no train connecting Vientiane to Nongkhai. You have to take a van. So, this is not valid.

[@legionnairegonk4425]

Sod it, I'll go back and watch all the individual videos!

[@Frahamen]

Are any of the connections you mentioned in the end open again in the meantime? Or did more orders closed te last 6 months?

[@richardboughton8338]

Great video as always Scott, however i had to turn the sound off as the music was too loud and thus too intrusive. Sorry.

[@ryanhebert7368]

How many days did the journey take and roughly how much did it cost? If you don’t mind.

[@valuetraveler2026]

Very cool - new possibilities will doubtless open up. I’m waiting for completion of the Thai high speed connection up towards China. Obviously right now other issues with getting into Russia by train ie there are no trains as far as I am aware (maybe some parts of Ukraine). Guess your Russian Federation invitation was linked to your journey and you stayed on the train

[@subansuwannarat4235]

Try traveling British Rail , can take much longer

[@davidabeillaud5521]

Another possibility with Almaty khorgos urumqi when china tourist visa will be possible again...?

[@PP-xy9bg]

Any moment, I was waiting that you say and with the war in Ukraine this is not possible, however then I saw the video is before that happened. So, it was really, really in the last moment. You’ve caught the last train, pun intended.

[@jcdevarg864]

Excelente vídeo, puedes decirme cuantos kilometros hay entre Vila-Real de Santo Antonio a Ho Chi min city?? gracias😉

[@JackJackProductions]

Roughly 18000 kilometres or 11200 miles

[@jcdevarg864]

@@JackJackProductions Gracias!!!

[@Archers2005]

You haven't mentioned how much it cost you ,how long it took and it would be nice to see where You are written on screen and even better a progress shown on the map and this video has potential to be much longer and enjoyable. I'm not complaining just stating what would help 👍

[@truckn]

I seen a FB post today (Jan 1 2024) from someone post a map of this route. Seeing that we are currently in Thailand with hopes of getting to Vietnam once again, I thought this would be a cool trip so I found your video. I was interested to see if this was still available mostly because of the war with you know who. That reason alone would keep me off that route but I sure wish I could take a trip like that except for the fact that I'm guessing there's no getting off for a day or 2 here and there to explore other countries. Plus the total cost would mostly likely be quite high. anyway, thanks for sharing your trip.

[@Janinek1979]

I saw this map on fb too. Inspired me to watch videos about the journey.

[@leonb2637]

The current war of Russia in Ukraine with the economic and travel embargo will likely limit travel through Russia for just about anyone. ME routes are also an issue for most as would have to go through Iran, other countries a no-go for many, especially Americans. I wonder what would could be the longest one could travel by train in Europe not including Russia, Ukraine. I guess from far northern Norway/Sweden/Finland to just across from Istanbul. Perhaps another challenge for you.

[@pathumkalansuriya5621]

Does passanger want to passport to travel?

[@wainber1]

It may be feasible to take a combo of trains and buses from the Portuguese coast to Southeast Asia, but doing so via the Balkans, heading south from Austria via Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria through Turkey. Crossing into Iran can be done directly although also via Azerbaijan, with rail links onto Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Mainland China, with the last part of Asia having rail links of its own to Vietnam. That rail journey may not be continuous but it can almost be done completely by rail. It may be one day there will be a tunnel that crosses through or under the Caspian between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan although travelling long distances by rail when the Russian Government had friendlier relations with its counterparts in the European Union and Schengen Area wasn't easy much beyond the easternmost high-speed Sapsan line between Moscow and St. Petersburg.

[@belstar1128]

Iran is very dangerous they could arrest you for no reason and use you as a hostage. china can also be very dangerous now because they will spy on your internet activity even if you didn't say anything anti china when in china. they could find something you said years ago and arrest you for that .and Turkmenistan will almost never give you a visa unless you get lucky

[@ireallylovetrains1121]

I love to see your face, don’t hide it.

[@andrewmcgee382]

What does the music add? Get rid of it.

[@kevanhubbard9673]

As the other Russian Vladimir, Vladimir Lenin, observed'decades pass with nothing happening and then weeks pass in which decades happen',so two months after you made this crossing Russia wouldn't be possible for western folk.When the railway is rehabilitated in Cambodia it might, assuming a peaceful world,be possible to get from Thurso to Singapore by rail and even now you could do most of it sort of as follows;Thurso Inverness London Brussels Koln Berlin Moscow Beijing Hanoi and probably buses to Vientiane back to trains, Bangkok Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

[@Jytami]

Would be very cool if the video was without music

[@welsh-3286]

and now the war in ukraine another reason why theres no train

[@antejl7925]

Thayls is overpriced hype. The old EC compostion train Paris to Koln via Chaleroi was much better.

[@MartinBrez]

In 2015 I travelled from Vladivostok to Newark Northgate (My hometown). I stopped off at most of the cities listed below. Vladivostok to Moscow using three trains. Moscow to St. Petersburg by train. St. Petersburg to Helsinki by train. Helsinki to Tallinn by ferry. Tallinn to Riga to Vilnius to Warsaw by bus. Warsaw to Berlin by train. Berlin to Cologne to Brussels to London by train Then London King's Cross to Newark Northgate.

[@OscarToye49310]

Nhgx

[@purangupta6645]

ye neta nahee koee paagal bol rahaa he

[@Jack_The_Ripper_Here]

train EU - USA would be amazing they should work on that

[@katrinabryce]

The bridge across the Berring Strait would be the easy bit. The difficult bit would the 1000km or so across mostly uninhabited land to get to Anchorage.

[@Jack_The_Ripper_Here]

@@katrinabryce I would work on something across the Atlantic . A submerged tunnel that stays at the bottom. Connects UK and Iceland and Iceland with Canada. Would be a gigantic problem evacuating it though.

[@katrinabryce]

@@Jack_The_Ripper_Here Orkney (should be just about doable), Shetland 😬, Faroe Islands 🤣, and while you are at it, Norway, it is about the same distance, then Iceland, Greenland, a bunch of islands in the north of Canada, then head south to actual civilisation. That is definitely not an easier option than going the other way round the Arctic Ocean.

[@katrinabryce]

Iceland by the way is much closer to the North American continent than Europe, and geographically it is split half in Europe, half in America.

[@Jack_The_Ripper_Here]

@@katrinabryce I say it’s doable. I’ve been in all by the say. UK, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Canada and USA and since you mentioned Norway I’ve been there as well. Used to work on ships you know. Nobody would drive from Europe to USA by circling the earth through Russia. Way too long. But if a tunnel connected US and Europe, there would be cars going through it. Going straight, constant speed with stops in Iceland and Greenland , I would say you’d reach the other continent in 5 - 7 days

[@papajock1950]

Thanks

[@PlanesTrainsEverything]

Thanks for your support Mike. I'm currently on a 50-hour coach journey from London to Sofia. We've just entered Bavaria and the half way point wont be for another 3 hours. Thanks again. I think I need all the support I can get on this one!