Epic Train Journeys from Above

Connecting iconic mountain resorts St Moritz and Zermatt, the Glacier Express is filmed from above winding along alpine peaks, over treacherous gorges and through vertiginous mountain ranges.  It’s a constant struggle to keep on track as engineers battle deep snow drifts, harness the latest tech to protect the line from landslides and set explosives to guard against deadly avalanches.

Crossing one of Canada’s 10 provinces, Manitoba from South to North, the Winnipeg to Churchill train is filmed from above as it winds through snow-covered grasslands, Canada’s Boreal Forest and into the frozen barren lands, just below the Arctic Circle. It’s a constant struggle to keep on track as engineers battle with snow and ice in temperatures that reach as low as minus 45.

Beginning in the mountaintop town of Creel, the El Chepe winds its way through the magnificent Copper Canyon, home to the reclusive Raramuri people.  We join the engineers on this mountainous railway that took 100 years to build, as they keep it safe from rockfalls, flash floods and even hurricanes. The journey ends in Los Mochis in the state of Sinaloa, gateway to the Pacific Ocean.

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is a steeply graded narrow-gauge line connecting the plains of New Jalpaiguri in Eastern India to the foothills of the Himalayas in Darjeeling. Led by a century-old steam loco, it is filmed from above as it conquers the world’s tallest mountain range. This is the epitome of hill railway engineering in India.

The Ghan, Australia’s most luxurious train, crosses an entire continent from Adelaide on the southern coast to the tropical landscape of Darwin in the north. On its 2-day journey, it faces intense heat, the risk of collisions with wild animals and the threat of increasingly extreme weather events. An army of engineers have to work round-the-clock to maintain the Ghan and its 3,000 kms of track.

Running from Norway’s second city of Bergen to its capital, Oslo, the Bergen line is filmed from the air as it passes along the fjords of Western Norway, rises to the snowy Hardanger Plateau, and descends through deep forests. Along the way learn how a dedicated team of people keep the line open in a challenging environment: clearing snow and ice, deterring wildlife, and repairing damaged trains.