Cars & Vehicles
Trains & Railways Quiz
From the first steam locomotive to 374 mph bullet trains — all aboard the history of rail.
From the first steam locomotive to 374 mph bullet trains — all aboard the history of rail.
Japan's Shinkansen bullet train has carried over 10 billion passengers since its debut in 1964 — with zero fatalities from collisions or derailments. That astonishing safety record is just one of the remarkable stories behind two centuries of railway history. This quiz takes you from Richard Trevithick's pioneering steam locomotive of 1804 to the maglev trains of today, covering famous routes, engineering breakthroughs, record-breaking speeds, and the global networks that transformed how humanity moves. With 50 questions spanning the Trans-Siberian Railway, the Orient Express, the Channel Tunnel, and the world's fastest train systems, every rail enthusiast will find something to test their knowledge.
Each question presents four possible answers covering railway history, engineering, famous routes, record speeds, and global rail networks. You'll be tested on everything from the gauge of standard track to the tunnels beneath the Alps and the Channel. After each answer, you'll receive a detailed explanation filled with fascinating facts about the locomotives, lines, and milestones that shaped railway history.
Discover why China has built more high-speed rail than the rest of the world combined, how the Transcontinental Railroad transformed America, what makes maglev technology fundamentally different from conventional trains, and which mountain railway earned a UNESCO World Heritage listing. From the golden spike driven at Promontory Summit in 1869 to the Shanghai Maglev hurtling at 431 km/h, this quiz celebrates two centuries of the engineering that shrank our world.
The Trans-Siberian Railway is the longest railway in the world, stretching 9,289 kilometres (5,772 miles) from Moscow to Vladivostok. Completed in 1916, the journey takes approximately seven days and crosses eight time zones. It remains the backbone of Russia's freight and passenger network and passes through some of the most remote landscapes on Earth, including the shores of Lake Baikal, the world's deepest lake.
The fastest train ever recorded is Japan's L0 Series maglev, which reached 603 km/h (375 mph) during a test run in April 2015 — the current world speed record for rail vehicles. In commercial operation, the Shanghai Maglev holds the record at 431 km/h (268 mph). For conventional high-speed rail, France's TGV holds the wheel-on-rail record of 574.8 km/h (357 mph), set during a specially modified test run in April 2007.
The first steam locomotive to haul a load on a railway was built by Cornish engineer Richard Trevithick and made its historic journey on 21 February 1804 at the Merthyr Tydfil ironworks in Wales. It carried 10 tonnes of iron and 70 men over about 14 kilometres. George Stephenson's Rocket, which won the 1829 Rainhill Trials and powered the world's first inter-city passenger railway between Liverpool and Manchester in 1830, is often credited as the locomotive that launched the railway age.
Last updated: March 2026