Toughest Train Rides Vietnam: Mayhem on the Rails

Tough Trains India | Investigate Asia Zay Harding takes on an epic journey across one of the world's biggest railway networks. These railways built during the 19th century by the British to move troops and raw materials across the land. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Welcome to Investigate Asia - Explore the diverse landscapes of Asia through in-depth documentaries that delve into the region's politics, economy, culture, and history. From ancient traditions to modern innovations, our content offers a unique perspective on the forces shaping Asia today. Join us on a journey to better understand one of the world’s most dynamic and influential regions. Whether you're a history enthusiast or curious about global affairs, this channel is your gateway to discovering Asia.

Toughest Train Rides: Siberia | Investigate Asia In the heart of Siberia, deep within the Arctic Circle, Siberia’s Ice Trains operate under extreme conditions, with temperatures plunging to minus 20 degrees Celsius and frequent snowstorms. Starting in Tobolsk, the journey heads 1,000 miles north to Novy Urengoy, Russia’s largest gas field. The railway is crucial for exporting condensed gas, and snowplough trains work tirelessly to keep lines open. From Novy Urengoy, the journey continues across the gas fields to Nadym, where a new railway is being built over Stalin’s infamous "Railway of Death." This harsh Arctic wilderness is also home to the nomadic Nenets people. The journey ends at Labytnangi, where a private train line runs to the Bovanenkovo gas field, the world’s northernmost railway. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Welcome to Investigate Asia - Explore the diverse landscapes of Asia through in-depth documentaries that delve into the region's politics, economy, culture, and history. From ancient traditions to modern innovations, our content offers a unique perspective on the forces shaping Asia today. Join us on a journey to better understand one of

Uzbekistan by Train: Oases, Deserts and Soviet Ghost Towns | Investigate Asia Uzbekistan, a land of vast deserts and ancient oases, was a key hub of the Silk Road for centuries, where camels once ruled the trade routes. After Russian annexation, the Silk Road Express railway transformed the region, connecting the lush green valleys of the east with the arid deserts of the west. In Jangiabad, a fading Soviet-era mining town, the Olympic boxing team now trains in the performance-enhancing high-altitude air. Samarkand, with its iconic Registan Square, has become a tourist hotspot, even featuring a tourist police force led by twin officers Fatima and Zukhra. Explorers venture deep into the Hissar Mountains, seeking the legendary Timur Cave, said to have hidden Timur Lenk’s army. Meanwhile, Bukhara’s ancient Jewish community, one of the oldest in the world, struggles to survive after centuries of resilience amid persecution. Uzbekistan’s landscapes and stories reflect a captivating blend of history, legend, and transformation. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Welcome to Investigate Asia - Explore the diverse landscapes of Asia through in-depth documentaries that delve into the

World’s Busiest Station: Shinjuku Station Tokyo | Investigate Asia Five separate train lines, almost three thousand passengers per minute and trains arriving every second. How can the people behind the scenes of the world’s busiest station overcome a traffic load like this every day? The teams in this Giant Hub need a minute-by-minute precision, a constant control, a military discipline but at the same time always still a smile on their faces for the 3,6 million customers every day. At 4:30 in the morning: The 200 doors to the world’s busiest station start to rise and they won´t close for the next twenty- one hours. This signals the start of the morning rush hour and requires a logistics process that is perfectly in sync. Nobody knows this kind of challenge as good as Hidehiko Moriyama, he is the station master of the biggest train company of the city. His team are the eyes and ears of the entire station. Cutting-edge technology allows them to keep an eye on everything from behind the scenes. When the day is almost over for

China's Last Little Train | Investigate Asia Sichuan. Southwest China. It's a mountainous region best known for pandas and earthquakes. There are no roads in the rugged Jiayang Valley. No cars. No trucks. No buses. But there is ... a train. Little Train tells the story of the last working narrow gauge steam railway in China. Built seventy years ago to haul coal out of the valley, the 19 km line has evolved to be the main source of transport in the valley carrying children to school, workers to their jobs, and pigs to market, all fighting for space in the train's small, unglazed carriages. But now the railway is at a crucial point. The mine has shut down and the villagers are actively fighting to keep the line - and its aging steam locomotives - running. Already the villagers have to make replacement parts by hand. When the boiler goes they face catastrophe. Too large to fabricate themselves, they search far and wide for a company to make a new boiler for them. But even if they can find

The Talibans New Friend | Investigate Asia When the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, most foreigners and multinational companies had already packed up and left Afghanistan. Going against the stream of foreigners fleeing the country was a group looking for “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunities: Chinese entrepreneurs. Despite the ongoing unrest, an economic crisis and United Nations’ concerns over human rights, more Chinese citizens are joining the country’s “gold rush”. Once a small minority, Chinese nationals now make up Afghanistan’s biggest group of expatriates. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Welcome to Investigate Asia - Explore the diverse landscapes of Asia through in-depth documentaries that delve into the region's politics, economy, culture, and history. From ancient traditions to modern innovations, our content offers a unique perspective on the forces shaping Asia today. Join us on a journey to better understand one of the world’s most dynamic and influential regions. Whether you're a history enthusiast or curious about global affairs, this channel is your gateway to discovering Asia.