| class="wikitable sortable"
! Gradient
! width=300pt|Line
! Date
Open
! Notes |
| -
| 1 in 7.2 (13.8%)
| Calçada de São Francisco, Lisbon Tramways, Portugal
| 1873 | In past, cable trams or funiculars only as hills too steep for horses. [{{cite web | language = English | url = https://www.railserve.com/stats_records/highest_steepest_railroads.html | title = Record Railroad Routes: Highest, Steepest & Longest | accessdate = 2019-02-10}}] Currently used by unassisted electric trams. |
| -
| 1 in 8.6 (11.6%)
| Pöstlingbergbahn, Austria
| 1898 | |
| -
| 1 in 9 (11.1%)
| Cass Scenic Railway, West Virginia, United States
| 1901 | Former logging railway, steepest non-electrified adhesion railway |
| -
| 1 in 9 (11%) or 1 in 10 (10%)
| Estrada de Ferro Campos do Jordão, Brazil
| | 22 existing railways merged and nationalised in 1953 |
| -
| 1 in 9.5 (10.5%)
| Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad, California, United States
| 1963 | 3ft narrow gauge heritage railroad |
| -
| 1 in 10 (10%)
| Sheffield Supertram, Sheffield, England
| 1994 | [{{citation |title=The potential introduction of trams to Bath |url=https://bathtrams.uk/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Tram-Report-Jan-2018.pdf |date=January 2018 |publisher=Atkins}}] |
| -
| 1 in 10.4 (9.6%)
| Gmunden Tramway, Austria
| 1894 | [Taplin, Michael; and Russell, Michael (2002). Trams in Western Europe, p. 8. Harrow Weald, Middlesex (UK): Capital Transport Publishing. {{ISBN|1-85414-265-8}}.] |
| -
| rowspan = 3 | 1 in 11 (9.1%)
| Allentown light rail line, Pittsburgh, United States
| ???? | |
| -
| Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine railway, France
| 1901 | |
| -
| J Church line, San Francisco
| 1917 | [{{cite web |url = http://archives.sfmta.com/cms/rhomemu/genmuinfo.htm |title = General Information |publisher = San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency |accessdate = June 21, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161203183047/http://archives.sfmta.com/cms/rhomemu/genmuinfo.htm |archive-date = December 3, 2016 |url-status = dead }}] |
| 1 in 11.13
(9.0%)
| BC Forest Discovery Centre, Duncan, B.C., Canada
| | The steepest incline on a 3 ft narrow-gauge railway in Canada, the BC Forest Discovery Centre is a Forestry and
Logging Museum that runs a tourist train, using a combination of steam locomotives and diesel locomotives,
usually with trains consisting of 1-3 coaches in length, as well as motor cars. |
| -
| 1 in 11.4 (8.8%)
| Cinci Drumuri–Pădurii, Iași Tramways, Iași, Romania
| | [{{cite web | language = Romanian | url = https://www.ziaruldeiasi.ro/stiri/tramvaiele-noi-vor-ajunge-peste-doi-ani-pantele-din-iasi-pun-probleme-ofertantilor--213251.html | title = Pantele din Iaşi pun probleme ofertanţilor | accessdate = 2019-09-09}}] |
| -
| 1 in 11.4 (8.75%)
| A and B Loop and NS Line of the Portland Streetcar system, Portland, Oregon, United States
| | Located in the block of Southwest Harrison Street between 1st Avenue and 2nd Avenue[{{cite news |author= |title=Worldwide Review [regular news section]|date=August 2013 |magazine=Tramways & Urban Transit |page=352 |location=UK |publisher=Ian Allan Publishing |issn=1460-8324}}] |
| 1 in 11.8
(8.5%)
| Stuttgart light rail system, Germany
| | Steepest gradient in Alexanderstraße on the southern part of line U15. [{{Cite news |last=Peix |date=4 December 2007 |title=START FÜR NEUE U 15 |url=http://www.america-n.de/fuenfzehner/stadtbahn.pdf |access-date=6 January 2024 |pages=37}}] |
| -
| 1 in 12.5 (8%)
| Hakone Tozan Line, Japan
| | |
| -
| 1 in 12.5 (8%)
| Trieste-Opicina tramway
| | Mixed adhesion and rope-hauled operation. The maximum gradient on adhesion is 8% between Vetta Scorcola and Cologna stops. Maximum gradient on the rope-hauled section is 26% between Romagna and S. Anastasio stops.[{{Cite web |title=Technical features |url=https://www.triestetrasporti.it/en/services-and-projects/opicina-tramway/technical-features/ |access-date=2022-04-13 |website=Trieste Trasporti Spa |language=en-US}}] |
| -
| 1 in 12.5 (8.0%)
| Appenzell–St. Gallen–Trogen railway, Appenzeller Bahnen, Switzerland
| | |
| -
| 1 in 12.6 (7.9%)
| Uetliberg railway line, Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn, Switzerland
| 1875 | [{{cite web | language = German | url = http://www.bahnbilder.de/bild/Schweiz~Stadtverkehr~S-Bahn+Zurich/397507/79-promille-rampe-siehe-tafel-be-556-und.html | title = 79-Promille-Rampe | accessdate = 2017-08-24}}][{{cite web | language = German | url = https://szu.ch/unternehmen/bahn-s4s10.html/ | title = Bahn S4/S10 - Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn SZU | accessdate = 2017-08-24}}] |
| 1 in 12.7 (7.85%)
|Green Line B branch, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | The steepest gradients are near Washington Street station.[{{Cite book |last=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |url=http://archive.org/details/mbta-green-line-track-charts |title=MBTA Green Line Track Charts |date=2017-03-06 |pages=14-15}}] |
| -
| 1 in 13.7 (7.3%)
| Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line, Switzerland
| | |
| -
| 1 in 14 (7.1%)
| Driving Creek Railway, Coromandel, New Zealand
| | |
| -
| 1 in 14 (7.1%)
| Hopton Incline, Cromford and High Peak Railway, England
| | This incline has only carried passengers, by adhesion, on enthusiast special trains, but is now completely closed. |
| -
| 1 in 14.1 (7.1%)
| Erzberg Railway (Erzbergbahn), Austria
| | Built as a rack railway, adhesion operation only by passenger railbuses, now only museum operation on part of the line. |
| 1 in 14 (7.0%)
|Red Marble Grade, Topton, North Carolina.
| | A 2015 survey[{{cite web |url=https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/andrews-murphy/Documents/AndrewsMurphyRailReactivationStudy.pdf |title=Andrews to Murphy (A2M) Rail Reactivation Study |publisher=NCDOT Rail Division |date=February 2015 |page=28}}] lists the 3.5 mile stretch between MP 87 and MP 90.5 at a 4% average grade and says there are isolated stretches approaching 7%. When originally built the ruling grade was 4.2% as listed by southern railway. But due to the fills settling it has drastically changed.[ This segment of track has always been worked by adhesion. This line is owned by Great Smoky Mountains Railroad and in 2019 is out of service.] |
| -
| rowspan = 3 | 1 in 14.2 (7.0%)
| Bernina Railway, Switzerland
| | |
| -
| MAX Light Rail system, Portland, Oregon, United States
| | System's ruling gradient of 7.0% is located on the viaduct connecting the Steel Bridge with Southwest 1st Avenue.[{{cite book |last=Sebree |first=Mac |author-link=Mac Sebree |year= 1994 |chapter=Portland's Westside Tunnel: An LRT Breakthrough |title= 1994 Light Rail Annual & User's Guide |series=North American Light Rail Annual and User's Guide for |pages=10–14 |location=Pasadena, CA |publisher=Pentrex |issn=0160-6913 }}][{{cite book |author=Sheldrake, Arlen |title=Steel Over the Willamette |year=2012 |publisher=Pacific Northwest Chapter, National Railway Historical Society |location=Portland, Oregon |page=42 |isbn=978-0-9851207-0-2 |display-authors=etal }}] |
| -
| SacRT light rail, Sacramento, California, United States
| | |
| -
| rowspan = 3 | 1 in 15 (6.67%)
| Usui Pass, former Shin'etsu Main Line, Japan
| | |
| -
| Former Keihan Keishin Line
| | |
| -
| Toden Arakawa Line (Tokyo Sakura Tram), Japan
| | |
| -
| 1 in 15.4 (6.5%)
| Incline from the Causeway Street Tunnel up to the Lechmere Viaduct on the Green Line (MBTA), Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | [{{cite web |url=http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/sr/sr221/221-019.pdf |title=Boston's Light Rail Transit Prepares for the Next Hundred Years |website=onlinepubs.trb.org |access-date=2021-02-23}}] This incline is commonly believed to be the "steepest grade of tracks in the T system."[{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/11/11/lechmere_science_park_stations_reopen/ |title=Lechmere, Science Park stations reopen |newspaper=Boston.com |date=11 November 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070306163819/http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/11/11/lechmere_science_park_stations_reopen/ |access-date=2021-02-23|archive-date=2007-03-06 |last1=Daniel |first1=Mac }}] |
| -
| 1 in 15.9 (6.3%)
| Alishan Forest Railway, Taiwan
| | |
| -
| rowspan = 2 | 1 in 16.4 (6.1%)
| Hunsrückbahn, Germany
| | Built as a rack railway. |
| -
| Keihan Keishin Line
| | |
| -
| rowspan = 3 |1 in 16.6 (6.0%)
| Ligne de Cerdagne, France
| | |
| -
| Arica, Chile to Bolivia
| | With {{convert|100|m|ft|2|abbr=on}} radius curves. |
| -
|Terni–Perugia–Sansepolcro railway (Perugia Sant'Anna branch)
| | Steepest standard gauge line in Italy |
| -
| 1 in 16.7 (6.0%)
| Arosabahn, Switzerland
| 1910 | Rockfall shelter |
| -
| 1 in 17 (5.89%)
| Madison Incline, Madison, Indiana, United States
| | Steepest standard gauge, line haul railroad in North America.[{{cite web
]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06F63Fy4lgU
|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/06F63Fy4lgU |archive-date=2021-12-15 |url-status=live|title=The Madison Incline: Steepest Railroad Grade in North America
|accessdate=May 7, 2018
|publisher=Delay In Block Productions }}{{cbignore}} Worked as a rack railway until 1868 when the Reuben Wells was built to work the hill by adhesion. |
| -
| 1 in 17.1 (5.88%)
| Docklands Light Railway, London, England
| | On the ramp from the original London and Blackwall Railway viaduct to the tunnel leading to Bank. |
| -
| rowspan = 2 | 1 in 17.5 (5.7%)
| Mukilteo, Washington, United States, Boeing Factory Spur
| | Rail line for delivering parts shipped from overseas to the Boeing Everett Factory. |
| -
| Canada Line, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
| | Ruling gradient for the Canada Line for its steepest portion, between Broadway–City Hall station and Olympic Village station. |
| -
| rowspan = 3 | 1 in 18 (5.5%)
| Near Alausi, Ecuador on line to Quito
| | |
| -
| Flåmsbanen, Norway
| | |
| -
| Höllentalbahn (Black Forest), Germany
| | |
| -
|1 in 19.2 (5.2%)
| Hong Kong Tramway, Hong Kong
| | Along the section of King's Road between the junctions with Kornhill Road and Shau Kei Wan Road/Taikoo Shing Road |
| -
| rowspan = 3 | 1 in 19 (5.3%)
| Camden Tram, New South Wales, Australia
| | This line has been closed for over 50 years. |
| -
| Foxfield Railway, Staffordshire, England
| | This incline is on a preserved colliery railway which briefly carried passengers over this steep section but does not now normally do so. |
| -
| Kangra Valley Railway, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | |
| -
| rowspan = 7 | 1 in 20 (5.0%)
| Rapperswil - Samstagern, Südostbahn, Switzerland
| | |
| -
| Murg Valley Railway, Germany
| | |
| -
| Kurobe Gorge Railway, Japan
| | |
| -
| Eizan Electric Railway Kurama Line, Japan
| | |
| -
| Nankai Electric Railway Koya Line, Japan
| | |
| -
| Kobe Electric Railway (Shintetsu) Ao Line and Arima Line, Japan
| | |
| -
| Tateyama Erosion Control Train, Japan
| | [{{cite web|url=http://www.hrr.mlit.go.jp/tateyama/english/service/erosion/erosion.htm|title=Tateyama Sabo's Erosion Control Works Service Train|website=hrr.mlit.go.jp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304221659/http://www.hrr.mlit.go.jp/tateyama/english/service/erosion/erosion.htm|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}] |
| -
| 1 in 20 (5.0%)/1 in 25 (4.0%)
| Matheran Hill Railway, India
| | Near Mumbai |
| -
| 1 in 21 (4.7%)
| Saluda Grade, Saluda, North Carolina, United States
| | The steepest standard gauge mainline railroad grade in the United States.[Trains, November 1984, p26]
Worked by adhesion between 1878 and 2001, currently out of service. |
| 1 in 22
(4.5%)
|Balsam Mountain Grade, Balsam N.C.
| | Balsam Mountain, home of highest railroad station east of the Rockies; average grade about 4.0%, max 4.5%.
1 of 2 grades on southern railways former Murphy branch that are +4% grade.
Balsam Mountain has seen many runaways.
It is still in service operated by the Blue Ridge Southern Railroad (Watco). |
| -
| 1 in 22 (4.5%)
| Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, India
| | |
| -
| 1 in 22 (4.5%)
| Big Hill, British Columbia, Canada
| | Operated from 1884 to 1909 when it was replaced by two spiral tunnels. |
| -
| 1 in 22.5 (4.4%)
| Thamshavn Line, Norway
| | |
| -
| rowspan = 2 | 1 in 23 (4.3%)
| Ballochney incline, Ballochney Railway, Scotland
| | rowspan = 2 | The steepest standard gauge inclines used regularly by passenger trains by adhesion in Britain.
Both closed to passengers from 1 May 1930 by the London and North Eastern Railway and since closed completely.[Railway World, April 1963, p159] |
| -
| Causewayend incline, Slamannan Railway, Scotland
| |
| -
| 1 in 23.5 (4.25%)
| {{ill|Boketu Forest Railway|zh|博林铁路}}, China
| 1924 | Steepest railway line owned by China Railways |
| -
| rowspan = 12 | 1 in 25 (4.0%)
| Cologne–Frankfurt high-speed rail line, Germany
| | |
| -
| Chosica - Galera, Central Railway, Peru
| | |
| -
| Selketalbahn, Germany
| | |
| -
| Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, Colorado, United States
| | |
| -
| Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, Colorado, United States
| | |
| -
| {{STN|Sawando|x}} to {{STN|Akagi|x|Nagano}}, Iida Line, Japan
| | |
| -
| Fujikyuko Line, Fuji Kyuko Railway, Japan
| | |
| -
| Batlow branch, New South Wales, Australia
| 1923 | This line has been closed for many years. A popular grade in NSW. |
| -
| Newnes branch, New South Wales, Australia
| | This line has been closed for many decades. The Glowworm Tunnel on its former route
is a popular tourist attraction. Used Shay locomotives. |
| -
| Oberon branch, New South Wales, Australia
| 1923-1980 | This line has been closed for decades. [ [https://www.nswrail.net nswrail.net] ] |
| -
| Dorrigo branch, New South Wales, Australia
| | This line has been closed for decades. There have been several attempts by the Dorrigo Steam Railway and Museum
and Glenreagh Mountain Railway to reinstate part of it as a historic/tourist rail line. |
| -
| Luxembourg to St Michel-Notre Dame, RER Line B, Paris, France
| | |
| -
| rowspan = 2 | 1 in 26 (3.85%)
| Iquique Railway, Chile
| | [{{Cite web|url=http://mikes.railhistory.railfan.net/r088.html|title=BRITISH ENTERPRISE IN SOUTH AMERICA|website=mikes.railhistory.railfan.net}}] |
| -
| Ōu Main Line (Yamagata Shinkansen), Japan
| | Momentum Grades |
| -
| rowspan = 4 | 1 in 27 (3.7%)
| Mersey Railway Tunnel, England
| | |
| -
| Werneth Incline, England
| | Regular passenger service withdrawn 7 January 1963 and since closed completely.[Modern Railways, Nov 2009, p10; Railway World, February 1963, p76] |
| -
| Holywell branch line, Wales
| | Regular passenger service withdrawn 6 September 1954 and since closed completely. |
| -
| Mauritius Railways
| | [{{Cite news|date=1868-09-21|title=The Sydney Morning Herald.|pages=6|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13173084|access-date=2021-05-05}}] |
| -
| 1 in 28 (3.6%)
| LGV Sud-Est high-speed line, France
| | |
| -
| 1 in 28.5 (3.5%)
| Kyushu Shinkansen, Japan
| | |
| -
| 1 in 48 (2.08%)
| Liverpool and Manchester Railway Docks
| 1830 | Designed for cable haulage to begin with; replaced by locomotives when technology advanced enough. |
| -
| 1 in 96 (1.04%)
| Liverpool and Manchester Railway
| 1830 | On either side of Rainhill level where Rainhill locomotive trials were conducted in 1829. |
| -
| 1 in 880 (0.11%)
| Liverpool and Manchester Railway
| 1830 | General ruling gauge overall |