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What are some of the longest train journeys in the world?

XUCHANG, CHINA - DECEMBER 26:  (CHINA OUT) A CRH high-speed train arrives at Xuchang East Railway Station on December 26, 2012 in Xuchang, China. The world's longest high-speed rail route linking Beijing and Guangzhou started operation on Wednesday. Running at an average speed of 300 kilometers per hour, the 2,298-kilometer new route will cut the travel time between Beijing and Guangzhou from more than 20 hours to around eight.  (Photo by Visual China Group via Getty Images/Visual China Group via Getty Images)
A train arrives at Xuchang East Railway Station on 26 December 2012 in Xuchang, China, at the opening of the world's longest high-speed rail route. (Getty Images)

This article is part of Yahoo's 'On This Day' series

It is nine years to the day since the world’s longest high-speed rail route was officially opened.

On 26 December 2012, the railway line between Beijing and Guangzhou was unveiled in China.

When it started, the route spanned 2,298km (1,428 miles) and had 35 stops, with trains travelling at 300km/h (187mph).

It cut a 22-hour journey down to less than 10 hours.

Here are some of the longest train journeys from all over the globe.

The Trans-Siberian Railway (5,772 miles)

A train moves along the Trans-Siberian railway near Maganskaya railway station outside Krasnoyarsk, Russia June 4, 2019. REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin
A train moves along the Trans-Siberian railway near Maganskaya railway station outside Krasnoyarsk, Russia. (Reuters)

The longest railway line in the world, the Trans-Siberian Railway stretches across Russia from Moscow to Vladivostok, which is next to the Sea of Japan.

The famous route was built between 1891 and 1916 at the behest of Emperor Alexander III and his son, who would become Emperor Nicholas II.

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The Trans-Siberian stretches 9,289km (5,772 miles) and is operated by Russian Railways.

It spans a record eight time zones and it takes eight days to complete the entire journey.

Moscow to Pyongyang (6,379 miles)

TUMANGANG, NORTH KOREA - AUGUST 19:  A Customs officer is seen on the train No.100 from Moscow to Pyongyang at Tumangang railway station on August 19, 2015 in Tumangang, North Korea. North and South Korea today came to an agreement to ease tensions following an exchange of artillery fire at the demilitarized border last week.  (Photo by Xiaolu Chu/Getty Images)
A customs officer on the train from Moscow to Pyongyang at Tumangang station in North Korea in August 2015. (Getty Images)

Technically, this was the longest train service in the world, up until February 2020, when services from Russia into North Korea were suspended.

It used much of the Trans-Siberian route for its journey.

Operated by the Korean State Railway, it stretched 10,267km (6,379 miles) and had 157 stops, taking eight and a half days.

Toronto to Vancouver (2,775 miles)

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 15: Passengers aboard the Canadian, a Via Rail train from Toronto to Vancouver, peer out both sides of the dining car to see the sites while still in Ontario.        (Bernard Weil/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
Passengers on board the Canadian, a Via Rail train from Toronto to Vancouver in Canada. (Getty Images)

Almost all of the top 20 longest train services in the world are in Russia or China, but the 17th longest stretches for 4,466km (2,775 miles) through Canada.

Operated by Via Rail and its transcontinental passenger train, The Canadian, it goes between Union Station in Toronto and Pacific Central Station in Vancouver.

The journey takes about 95 hours.

Chicago to Los Angeles (2,727 miles)

Amtrak's Texas Eagle train waits to depart the station in San Antonio, Texas.  (Photo by Michael Hibblen/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Amtrak's Texas Eagle train waiting to depart the station in San Antonio, Texas. (Getty Images)

Just slightly shorter than the Canadian trip, at 4,390km (2,727 miles), this is the longest service across the US.

It comprises two trains, the Texas Eagle from Chicago, Illinois, to San Antonio, Texas, followed by the Sunset Limited from San Antonio to Los Angeles, California.

Read more: All aboard the longest train ride in North America

The Amtrak-operated journey is a 65-hour trip across seven states: Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

Sydney to Perth (2,704 miles)

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 09:  The Great Southern Railway's Indian Pacific arrives at Rawlinna Station on December 9, 2011 in Rawlinna, Australia. The Great Southern Railway's Indian Pacific travels the 4,352km between Sydney and Perth twice a week, crossing three states and includes the world's longest stretch of straight railway track on the Nullarbor Plain. Now in its ninth year, the Indian Pacific Outback Christmas Journey takes 65 hours to reach its destination while travelling through the Australian Outback to support remote regional communities as well as the Australian Royal Flying Doctor Service.  (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)
The Indian Pacific arriving at Rawlinna Station in Australia. (Getty Images)

The Indian Pacific service, operated by luxury train company Journey Beyond, between the cities of Sydney and Perth, stretches for 4,352km (2,704 miles) across Australia.

Opened in 1970, the Indian Pacific features the world’s longest straight stretch of railway track, a 478km (297-mile) section over the Nullarbor Plain.

The journey takes up 75 hours and the train has a Platinum and Gold Service.

The train also has a motorail service that carries passengers’ cars between Adelaide and Perth.

Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari (2,621 miles)

Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India - January, 2017: Stop signs in the end of railway road on the railroad station.
Kanyakumari station in India, where passengers can begin or end their journey on the country's longest train service, the Dibrugarh–Kanyakumari Vivek Express. (Getty)

The Dibrugarh–Kanyakumari Vivek Express runs in India from Dibrugarh in the north east to Kanyakumari in the south.

The weekly train service covers 4,218km (2,621 miles) and goes through nine states, taking 80 hours to complete.

Watch: All aboard Italy's 'Trans-Siberian' railway