List of highest railways

The table only includes non-cable passenger railways whose culminating point is over 3,000 metres above sea level, regardless of their location, gauge or type.

For example, the permanent snow line is located at sea level near the poles, at 3,000 metres in the Alps and at 6,000 metres in some areas of the Andes and the Himalayas.

The tree line also depends on latitude, thus making comparisons between elevations difficult on a world scale.

At high altitudes, snow, cold, wind and harsh weather conditions make construction and maintenance an expensive challenge.

In the Alps, the Jungfrau Railway has the particularity of reaching an elevation that is higher than the local snow line.