1. Japan
Train: JR-Maglev MLX01
Speed: 361 mph
Capacity: Experimental
Speed: 361 mph
Capacity: Experimental
Japan is the world leader when it
comes to high-speed trains, opening the world’s first modern high-speed
rail in 1964. The Japanese first made a breakthrough in the field when
they introduced the first series of the Tokaido Shinkansen “bullet
trains,” which could reach a top speed of 130 mph. The early bullet
trains carried more than 100 million passengers in just the first three
years. Today, the trains are still operating on the world’s busiest rail
line, carrying 378,000 passengers a day. Maglev trains have also been
developed in Japan since the 1970s. The government has approved plans
for a $112.4 billion project to build a Maglev train line between Tokyo,
Nagoya, and Osaka, with a completion date of 2027. These planned
high-speed trains are expected to cut the current travel time between
Tokyo and Osaka from two hours and 18 minutes on the Shinkansen to just
over an hour. Currently, the experimental JR-Maglev MLXO1 is considered
the world’s fastest train, with a top speed of 361 mph in a test run in
2003.
2. France
Train: TGV V150
Speed: 357 mph
Capacity: Experimental
Speed: 357 mph
Capacity: Experimental
France sped ahead of the rest of Europe in the race to build the first fully functioning high-speed rail network.
The first Alstom developed TGV trains hit the tracks in 1981, with service between Paris and Lyon. Since then, the network has expanded to service 150 destinations within France and neighboring countries. Limited to a speed of up to 200 mph during normal service, the experimental TGV V150 hit a record speed of 357 mph in 2007—making it the second fastest train in the world. TGV’s high-speed technology is used in national trains in many European countries including the U.K., Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. Last month, French train maker Alstom signed a preliminary deal to build a high-speed rail line in Iraq linking the cities of Baghdad and Basra.
The first Alstom developed TGV trains hit the tracks in 1981, with service between Paris and Lyon. Since then, the network has expanded to service 150 destinations within France and neighboring countries. Limited to a speed of up to 200 mph during normal service, the experimental TGV V150 hit a record speed of 357 mph in 2007—making it the second fastest train in the world. TGV’s high-speed technology is used in national trains in many European countries including the U.K., Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. Last month, French train maker Alstom signed a preliminary deal to build a high-speed rail line in Iraq linking the cities of Baghdad and Basra.
3. China
Train: CRH380AL
Speed: 302 mph
Capacity: 600 passengers
Speed: 302 mph
Capacity: 600 passengers
China has the world’s longest high-speed rail network with more than 6,000 miles of routes in service.
It also boasts the longest high-speed rail route, with the opening of its Beijing-Shanghai line earlier this month. The 819-mile route was made using 60 million cubic meters of concrete, twice the amount used in the Three Gorges Dam. While the CRH380AL trains operate at a speed of 186 mph, the train hit a record speed of 302 mph in a test run. China’s first high-speed line, which opened in 2007, saw 40.6 million passengers travel on it in just the first two years. The government hopes to stretch China’s rapidly growing high-speed network to 28,000 miles by the end of 2015.
It also boasts the longest high-speed rail route, with the opening of its Beijing-Shanghai line earlier this month. The 819-mile route was made using 60 million cubic meters of concrete, twice the amount used in the Three Gorges Dam. While the CRH380AL trains operate at a speed of 186 mph, the train hit a record speed of 302 mph in a test run. China’s first high-speed line, which opened in 2007, saw 40.6 million passengers travel on it in just the first two years. The government hopes to stretch China’s rapidly growing high-speed network to 28,000 miles by the end of 2015.
4. Germany
Train: Transrapid TR-07
Speed: 270.3 mph
Capacity: Experimental
Speed: 270.3 mph
Capacity: Experimental
Germany is a nation that has been at
the forefront of high-speed rail technology. It’s home to Siemens, the
world’s largest manufacturer of high-speed trains. German companies
Siemens and ThyssenKrupp have developed the Transrapid system,
high-speed monorail trains operating on magnetic levitation (Maglev)
technology, that can reach speeds of 311 mph. In 2004, the Shanghai
Maglev train in China was the first commercial Transrapid train to carry
passengers, hitting speeds of 267 mph. Although the magnetic levitation
trains are developed in Germany, they have never been used commercially
in the country. The technology has faced several setbacks, including
high costs and a crash that killed 25 people during a test run in 2006.
Instead, the InterCityExpress (ICE) system has been adopted nationwide
since 1991. These high-speed trains hit speeds of 199 mph and connect
German cities with cities in Switzerland, Austria, Belgium and the
Netherlands. An ICE train disaster near the German village of Eschede in
1998 is considered the world’s deadliest high-speed rail accident,
leading to the deaths of 101 people.
5. Spain
Train: AVE Class 103
Speed: 251 mph
Capacity: 404 passengers
Speed: 251 mph
Capacity: 404 passengers
Spain has the longest high-speed rail
network in Europe, with 3,433 miles of tracks. With six high-speed train
lines and several under construction, the Spanish government aims to
have 90 percent of its population within 31 miles of a high-speed
station by 2020. The country’s fastest trains are the AVE series, which
is manufactured by several train makers, including Siemens, Alstom and
Bombardier. The Siemens-made AVE Class 103 train began commercial
service in 2007, and hit a record speed of 251 mph during a test run
between Madrid and Zaragoza. The maximum top speed for commercial trains
in Spain is limited to 186 mph for passenger safety. The euro-zone debt
crisis and Portugal’s austerity plan have halted a major expansion
plan, which would have linked Spain’s capital Madrid with Lisbon in
Portugal. The high-speed train link would have cut travel time between
the two cities to two hours and 45 minutes instead of the current nine
hours.
6. Italy
Train: ETR 500 Frecciarossa
Top Speed: 225 mph
Capacity: 590 passengers
Top Speed: 225 mph
Capacity: 590 passengers
One of the early pioneers of European
high-speed rail technology, Italy is home to Europe’s first high-speed
train line. The Florence-Rome high-speed line made history when more
than half of its entire length—the first 86 miles from Rome to Citta
della Pieve—opened in 1977. Trains on the track reached a maximum speed
of 160 mph. Since then, the country’s high-speed rail network has grown
substantially, with high-speed lines reaching as far north as Torino to
as far south as Napoli. The Italian-made ETR 500 is the fastest train
series in the country, with its ETR 500 Y1 model hitting speeds of up to
225 mph in 2009 on a trip between Florence and Bologna. Not everyone is
happy with the progress, however. Earlier this month, more than 200
people were injured in a rally against the construction of a planned
36-mile tunnel in the northern Susa valley that would cut three hours
off the current seven-hour train journey between Paris and Milan.
Protesters say the high-speed line will ruin the area and its
construction could release harmful chemicals.
7. United Kingdom
Train: Eurostar 3313/14
Top Speed: 208 mph
Capacity: 750 passengers
Top Speed: 208 mph
Capacity: 750 passengers
The Eurostar has changed the way
Western Europeans travel. Since it began operations in 1994, the
London-based high-speed rail network connects England with cities in
France and Belgium via an underground tunnel in the English Channel,
often referred to as the “Chunnel.” With 27 trains and links to more
than 100 destinations across Europe, the network marked its 100
millionth passenger in August 2009. The rail line carries passengers at
speeds of up to 186 mph. The Eurostar 3313/14 broke a British rail
record set in 1979 by reaching speeds of 208 mph in 2003. The rail
network was recently taken to court by French train-maker Alstom over
its decision to give a $600 million contract for 10 new trains to German
builder Siemens. However, a U.K. court rejected the application to have
the contract suspended. Alstom is the world’s second biggest train
maker and the supplier of all existing Eurostar trains.
8. South Korea
Train: KTX-I
Top Speed: 190 mph
Capacity: 965
Top Speed: 190 mph
Capacity: 965
South Korea’s high-speed rail network,
known as Korea Train eXpress (KTX), carries more than 100,000
passengers a day on its two lines. In April 2010, a record 178,584
people used the country’s high-speed rail network. After 12 years of
construction, the first high-speed line was opened in 2004, slashing
travel time from the capital Seoul to the port city of Busan to two
hours and 40 minutes, half the time it took previously. The travel time
between the two cities was reduced by a further 22 minutes when a second
line was opened.
The impact of high-speed rail has been felt by the domestic airline industry, which has seen its capacity shrink by more than 30 percent between 2003 and 2007. Although the introduction of low-cost air carriers in the country has helped demand for air travel grow again, passenger levels are still below what they used to be before high-speed rail was introduced.
The impact of high-speed rail has been felt by the domestic airline industry, which has seen its capacity shrink by more than 30 percent between 2003 and 2007. Although the introduction of low-cost air carriers in the country has helped demand for air travel grow again, passenger levels are still below what they used to be before high-speed rail was introduced.
9. Taiwan
Train: THSR 700T
Top Speed: 186 mph
Capacity: 989 passengers
Top Speed: 186 mph
Capacity: 989 passengers
Taiwan’s high-speed rail project,
which cost a total of $18 billion, is one the world’s largest privately
funded rail construction plans. The country’s THSR 700T trains have cut
travel time from 4.5 hours to 90 minutes on the 214-mile route from the
northern capital of Taipei to the southern city of Kaohsiung. The 30
high-speed trains, which began operations in 2007, are based on the
Japanese 700 Series Shinkansen “bullet train” model. A record 36.9
million passengers rode the trains in 2010, a 14 percent increase from
the year before. The country’s high-speed rail system has been making
headlines recently after the government said the network might not last
more than 10 years because of sinking land caused by the overuse of
groundwater. Last month, the government said it would cap deep
groundwater wells that threaten the structural base of the high-speed
system.
10. Russia
Train: Siemens Velaro RUS
Top Speed: 175 mph
Capacity: 600 passengers
Top Speed: 175 mph
Capacity: 600 passengers
Russia’s fastest high-speed train runs
on the Moscow-St. Petersburg line, and made its debut in December 2009.
The German-built Velaro RUS trains, also known as the Sapsan, have cut
the travel time for the 401-mile route from eight hours to three hours
and 45 minutes. The 10-car passenger trains operate at a maximum speed
of 155 mph, but hit a speed record of 175 mph during trials in 2009. The
eight high-speed trains are worth nearly $1 billion. Russia is eager to
expand its high-speed rail network ahead of hosting the 2018 FIFA World
Cup. The country has invited foreign investors to bid on development
contracts for new lines that will link its cities.
Here we compiled a list of the countries with world’s fastest trains based on the maximum speed measured in miles per hour (mph). We’ve included record speeds hit during trial runs on electric and magnetic levitation (Maglev) trains, as well as those of experimental models. The numbers are based on a series of publicly available reports, as well as information from organizations such as the Railway Gazette International and the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation.
Here we compiled a list of the countries with world’s fastest trains based on the maximum speed measured in miles per hour (mph). We’ve included record speeds hit during trial runs on electric and magnetic levitation (Maglev) trains, as well as those of experimental models. The numbers are based on a series of publicly available reports, as well as information from organizations such as the Railway Gazette International and the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation.