Traveling by train includes everything from historic steam trains to high-speed trains, from tourist dinners to cheap ones used as fast modern means of mass transit. For the traveler, the information available on the range of services can vary greatly.

Some examples of variations are:

• Travel by luxury train

• Commuter train travel - as cheap and efficient as airplanes or other land transport

• Long distance train journey

• Rail Enthusiasts - Interested in seeing train stations, locomotives, rolling stock and related parts

Traveling by train in some countries may be the most appropriate means of accessing certain regions where alternative means of transport would otherwise be limited. In Russia, the Trans-Siberian was the only land transport from coast to coast until the inauguration of the Trans-Siberian Highway in the early 21st century; in Canada, the country was unified with the train until the Trans-Canada Highway was completed in 1961.

But above all, a train journey can give a different pace to your itinerary and a sense of adventure even to the simplest routes.