Death railway in Ecuador

For 25 years, more than 2,000 people were killed to build the Nariz del Diablo railway (meaning the Devil's Nose).

When inaugurated in 1895, the Ecuadorian president Eloy Alfaro announced that a new railway would be built linking the coastal city of Guayaquil to the capital Quito.The route passes through the hilly areas and there are very dangerous passages because the adjacent area is deep.

Many people believe that the Andes could not be "subdued" by a railroad.Despite protests and disincentives, President Alfaro still hired two American engineering teams and tasked with building the "world's most difficult railway".

Later, Ecuador founded the Guayaquil and Quito Railway Company.The historic railway started to be built in 1899.

Building railroad tracks in high mountains is not a simple task.Seismic attacks occur frequently, heavy rain, jaguar, poisonous snakes, malaria, dysentery and yellow fever disrupt the process of making sugar.

Technical issues are also one of the biggest challenges when doing this route.A large cliff and slope names are Devil's Nose or Nariz del Diablo, located between the towns of Alausi and Sibambe.In order to get past this 800-meter-high cliff, engineers had to make zigzag railroads and have rails that allowed trains to gradually climb up the slope.

Everyone thinks Nariz del Diablo is cursed by Satan because he does not want a train to pass through.To resist the will of the devil, man must pay with his whole life.When the project was completed, more than 2,000 workers died of illness, labor or harsh climatic conditions.

After completing the first ramp up in 1902, Nariz del Diablo became the most spectacular railway in the world that construction engineers could create at the time.

The route continues to be used despite many interruptions.In 1997, when landslides were destroyed, Nariz del Diablo was completely closed.Recently only 12 km long railway from Alausi to Sibambe is reopened to serve tourists visiting the majestic mountains and also full of horror when crossing the Devil's Nose.

The train goes from Alausi to Sibambe (from Wednesday to Sunday and holidays from 8am, 11am and 15pm) take 2.5 hours for a round trip.Guests can buy tickets at train stations in Alausi for a price of 25 USD.The train is still subject to change before departure, so please pay attention to the station for more information.

Currently, all carriages are refurbished but visitors are not allowed to sit on the roofs of the train cars as before for safety reasons.