Passing panorama: New Zealand’s glory from a train window

Thirty years after the TranzAlpine was launched, Susan Grossman boards one of the world’s most scenic trains at Christchurch, before completing her trip on North Island’s Northern Explorer

10 spectacular rail journeys … that you’ve probably never heard of

Classic trains such as the Orient Express and Trans-Siberian have the name and the fame, but there are hundreds of lesser-known – and more-affordable – rail journeys that are their equal when it comes to stunning scenery