Like most people who are traveling from place to place in Ecuador, the majority of visitors to the country will make use of the extensive network of buses and coaches in order to see the country and to travel efficiently. However, one option which has started to become possible again is to travel through this country of difficult and remarkable landscapes by train, which had become all but impossible over the last few decades.

The railway network itself was developed in the nineteenth century, and includes some of the most impressive feats of engineering dealing with both swampy plains and lowlands before exploring mountain ranges and volcanoes that climb to over twenty thousand feet above sea level.

The Plan To Restore Ecuador's Railways
At the heart of the railway network in Ecuador is the main line route that runs from Quito to Guayaquil, and in early 2009 the President of the country, Rafael Correa announced that the railway network was to be restored and returned to a place of prominence in the country's transport infrastructure. The trains and the railway network was brought back into public ownership, with the FEEP becoming the new organization that has carried out much of the work in repairing and restoring the network. The trouble with the railways was due to a series of landslides in the 1990s that became too costly to repair for the private companies, and the cost of the work has been around $280 million for the Guayaquil to Quito line, along with other costs for the remaining branch lines and routes in the network.

The Routes Of Ecuador's Rail Network
The main bulk of the network in Ecuador is made of the 277 miles of track that lie between the capital Quito, high in the Andes, down through the heart of the country, and past some spectacular vistas to the coastal city of Guayaquil. As well as this main route, north of Quito there is also a stretch of the line that has been opened from Otavalo to Salinas, while in the south of the country, beyond where the main line turns west for the coast, there is also a line running from El Tambo to Coyoctor. The main line was reopened in June 2013, and the railways in Ecuador has seen a massive change from just five years earlier, when only ten per cent of the routes were still in active service.

Scenic Tours And The Devil's Nose
One of the most important reasons for restoring the railways in Ecuador was in order to attract more visitors to the country, and the railway from Quito to Guayaquil offers standard services along with luxurious scenic journeys taking in the entire route. The highest point on the line is the town of Urbina, which is located at 3,609 meters above sea level.

Along with the tours taking visitors for the four day scenic journey along the whole line, one of the most popular shorter trips on the railway is known as the Devil's Nose, between the towns of Alausi and Sibamba. This part of the line has almost always remained open due its popularity among visitors, and the Devil's Nose is a stretch of the track in which there are several switchbacks when the route ascends several hundred feet in a very short distance.

The Practicality Of Using Trains Over Buses
When it comes to the costs of using trains, the reality is that coach travel is still the cheapest way to travel across the country. However, with the prices for many train rides beginning from under ten dollars, it is certainly worth looking into. The luxury scenic train is quite a bit more expensive, but is still a great way to see the country, with many sections completed behind a traditional steam train.