Across different cultures, ghost stories feature a wide range of supernatural encounters—from mysterious women in white to spectral hitchhikers and even ghostly animals like dogs or pigs. Typically, hauntings involve the spirit of a once-living being, such as poltergeists, vengeful apparitions, or unexplained voices captured through electronic means. However, ghost trains present a unique case: instead of a human spirit, the ghost in question is the train itself—a non-living object taking on a supernatural presence. This stands apart from typical ghost lore, aside from rare exceptions like Japan's animated objects known as tsukumogami.
Many tales of ghost trains center around phantom locomotives that are believed to be the lingering remnants of tragic rail disasters or mysterious trains that whisk away passengers to unknown destinations. Although "ghost train" can also describe real trains that run empty to keep railway lines active, in these supernatural stories, the term often refers to literal spectral engines—sometimes blurring the line between legend and reality. What follows are accounts of some of the most well-known ghost trains, haunted tracks and stations.
