The evolution of high-speed rail has reshaped the transport landscape by offering an alternative to aviation, promoting economic growth, reducing travel times and offering a greener option.
Now, it is even becoming a competitor in price, with budget-high-speed rail options appearing in Europe. Germany, Italy, France, Spain, China, and Japan boast extensive high-speed rail networks, with trains that can reach speeds of over 300km/h.
Further expansion and improvement of high-speed rail will continue. There are several high-profile projects that seem inevitable, despite facing hurdles, including California high-speed rail, the complicated history of high-speed rail in Australia, and perhaps most famously, the ever-delayed HS2 project in the UK.
Yet despite some projects marred by setbacks, half of the ten most expensive rail projects that broke ground last year were high-speed rail projects. All five of these are located in Asia – a hotbed for high-speed rail, no small part due to China’s rapidly expanding network
Additionally, new technological advancements, such as magnetic levitation (Maglev) trains, hold the promise of even faster speeds and smoother rides. The ongoing advances in high-speed rail infrastructure and technology suggest a promising future, where travel becomes even more convenient, sustainable and interconnected.
Given the rapid development over the last decade, here’s an updated rundown of the ten fastest high-speed trains currently in service in the world right now, by operational speed.
10. Trenitalia Frecciarossa 1000: 300km/h (Italy)
Italian state railway operator Trenitalia’s Frecciarossa, or ETR1000, was co-developed as a joint venture between Hitachi Rail Italy and Alstom.
The Frecciarossa, otherwise known as the red arrow, is also operating in Spain. Private high-speed rail operator Iryo uses 20 S 109 trainsets, which are derived from the ETR1000.
Reportedly developed in response to Italo, a private high-speed rail operator in Italy, the ETR1000 trainsets carry 457 passengers in eight-car non-articulated 200-metre trains, with an engineered maximum speed of 400km/h.
In operation, the trains hit 300km/h but during testing in 2015 one of the ETR1000 sets reached 389km/h. 50 trainsets were built, but one is currently out of operation following the Livraga derailment.
On 6 February 2020, an ETR1000 operating the first service of the day was involved in a high-speed derailment at Livraga, on the Milan-Bologna high-speed line. The incident caused the death of the two train drivers and the injury of 31 people. It is the only railway accident to date on the Italian high-speed rail network.
9. Korail KTX-Sancheon: 305km/h (Korea)
South Korea’s national railway operator, Korail, runs the country’s high-speed rail service. Korea Train Express, more commonly known as KTX, began operation in 2004.
The network initially used rolling stock based that was partly built in Korea, based on Alstom’s TGV Réseau. Since then, the rolling stock on the line has shifted to fully domestically produced models, currently using the KTX-Sancheon built by Hyundai Rotem.
The KTX-Sancheon is named after the Korean name of the indigenous fish cherry salmon. It has a top operational speed of 305km/h and is the first high-speed train designed and developed in South Korea.
71 trainsets, which can accelerate from 0 to 300km/h in 316 seconds, currently carry up to 363 passengers each on the South Korean high-speed rail network.
The new generation HEMU-430X prototype reached 421.4km/h in 2013, beating the previous Korean rail speed record of 352.4km/h set by a KTX-Sancheon HSR-350x train.
This means that South Korea is one of only four countries in the world to develop a train capable of running at over 420km/h, along with France, Japan and China.
Hyundai Rotem is currently manufacturing 16 sets of the latest commercial electrical multiple-unit model of the HEMU-430X, the EMU-320, expected to enter into service by the end of this year. In contrast to 316 seconds for the KTX-Sancheon, the EMU-320 can accelerate from 0 to 300km/h in 230 seconds and has a planned operation speed of 320km/h.
8. Renfe AVE 103: 310km/h (Spain)
The Renfe Class 103 is a high-speed train that Spanish state-run operator Renfe uses for its AVE high-speed service. The trains, also known as Series 103 or S103, are manufactured by Siemens as part of the Velaro family.
Spanish high-speed rail began operation in 1992 when the first line was opened, connecting the cities of Madrid, Córdoba and Seville. Since then, the network has spread to connect the country’s major cities, as well as international connections. It has also opened up to open-access operators, creating an incredibly competitive high-speed rail market.
26 trainsets run on the 621km Barcelona–Madrid high-speed railway, carrying up to 404 passengers at speeds up to 310 km/h. In 2006, an S103 achieved a record top speed of 403.7km/h, a Spanish record speed for rail vehicles.
Interestingly, the 8-car configuration that Renfe operates is actually two identical half-trains of four coaches. Each section has an independent power system, apart from the active pantograph and a high voltage line that runs along the length of the entire train.
The end coaches are split between the driver’s cab and passenger seating, with glass screens separating the two. This allows passengers the same views as the driver – but the driver can turn these opaque if preferred.
the L0 Series. Manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and JR Central subsidiary Nippon Sharyo, the trains use the Japanese SCMaglev system.
JR Central plans to use the L0 series on the passenger services launching in 2027 on the Chūō Shinkansen railway line between Tokyo and Osaka. These trains are expected to operate at 500km/h but have hit a top speed during testing of a whopping 603km/h.
1. Shanghai Maglev: 460km/h (China)
The Shanghai Maglev, also known as the Shanghai Transrapid, tops the list with its maximum operating speed of 460km/h and average speed of 251km/h. It has a record high-speed of a staggering 501km/h.
The maglev train isn’t a conventional high-speed model. Instead, it utilizes electromagnetic force to levitate above the track, eliminating friction and allowing for incredibly smooth and quiet travel.
The Shanghai Maglev Transportation Development Company owns and operates the Shanghai Maglev. Siemens and German multinational ThyssenKrupp constructed the train as a joint venture.
The service started commercial operations in April 2004 and runs on the 30.5km Shanghai Maglev Line. This is the first commercially operated high-speed magnetic levitation line, running from Longyang Road Station in Shanghai, China to Shanghai Pudong International Airport, the route is the first commercially operated high-speed magnetic levitation line.
The maglev train can cover the approximately 19-mile distance in just under eight minutes, still making it an incredibly efficient connection to the airport, despite the fact that it doesn’t terminate in the city centre.
https://www.railway-technology.com/features/the-10-fastest-high-speed-trains-in-the-world/?cf-view
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