Tough Trains

Train travel can be delightful as a tourist or tiresome as a commuter, but what is it like to experience life aboard trains that have the toughest jobs on the planet? Zay Harding rides with those who operate in conditions ranging from desert furnaces to frozen wastelands. Siberia's ice trains are vital to the Russian economy as a means of exporting condensed gas from the region. In average temperatures of minus 20 degrees centigrade, even the snowplough trains work 24 hours a day to keep the lines open. On the other end of the scale, Bolivia is land-locked and without access to coastal ports. As compensation, both Chile and Brazil built railways to their coasts but they haven't received proper investment since. Zay attempts the tortuous journey to the Pacific coast, requiring a 4,000-metre descent to sea level, which forces him to the floor with an oxygen mask. Keep the line open and keep the train moving – that's the Tough Trains mantra. (oficjalny tekst dystrybutora)