High-speed trains. high speed train speed

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The railway has been around for hundreds of years. And during this time, trains have come a long evolutionary path from massive trolleys moved by hand traction to super-fast machines operating on the principle of magnetic levitation. Today, there are train express trains in almost every country. Let's see which is the fastest train in Russia and the world. Here is a rating of express trains that can reach speeds of over 300 kilometers per hour!

Belgium

In eleventh place are the Belgian high-speed trains of the TGV series (Train à Grande Vitesse). These trains were developed at the beginning of 1987 and were supposed to run from Amsterdam to Paris, passing Cologne and Brussels. Express trains were launched in 1997.

The modern HSL 1 runs on a high-speed line that connects the Belgian capital with the French railway. The journey from Paris to Brussels (300 km) takes just 82 minutes. And its average speed is approaching 300 kilometers per hour. By the way, this way of transportation is not cheap. A ticket for a high-speed train costs 88 euros (twice as cheap asthan air travel). However, there is an attractive discount system.

Taiwan

The top ten fastest trains in the world are opened by the Taiwanese locomotive THSR 700T. Long, dynamic and exclusive. The prototypes and examples for its creation were the Japanese Shinkansen trains. The maximum operating speed of the Taiwan Express is 300 kilometers per hour. However, in 2005, the mark reached 315 kilometers. Which allowed THSR 700T to enter the top ten fastest.

The locomotive runs from Northern Taipei to southern Kaohsiung. Up to 989 passengers can ride in twelve comfortable carriages in one trip. The train is renowned not only for its speed, but also for its safety and precision.

Germany

Ninth place in the ranking is occupied by German high-speed trains InterCity Express (ICE). The speed of such a model on the Strasbourg-Paris railway reaches 320 kilometers per hour. Today, ICE express trains are the main German long-distance trains. They are also delivered to the nearest EU countries and to Russia (for example, the Moscow-Petersburg high-speed train).

Germany began to develop high-speed models back in 1985, when the country was divided into two parts. And the first train got on the rails already in 1991, after the unification. The ICE-V test model in test mode reached a speed of 407 kilometers per hour. However, it was not put into operation.

In 1984, Transrapid began developing a test railway line between the cities of Lathen and Derpen, operatingon the Maglev system. On this branch, trains will be able to pick up speed up to 420 kilometers. But due to the catastrophe that occurred on the line in September 2006, which claimed the lives of 23 people, the launch of the Maglev was postponed indefinitely. Today, locomotives run on this railway line only as sightseeing tours and attractions.

England

In eighth place in the ranking - high-speed trains in the UK. The best representatives are British Rail Class 373 and Eurostar. Their speed ranges from 300 to 335 kilometers. These electric trains of the TGV series (French model) were put into operation in 1994 and run between three countries: Great Britain, France and Belgium. Their path lies through the famous railway tunnel under the English Channel. By the way, this tunnel is the second longest in the world.

If we go back to speed, we must say about the record set by the Eurostar locomotive in 2003 - 334.7 kilometers per hour. The entire journey from Paris to London takes 136 minutes for this train.

London trains are the most spacious in the world. They can carry up to 900 passengers. In addition, the Eurostar high-speed passenger train is considered one of the longest locomotives - it reaches 394 meters in length and has 20 cars.

South Korea

Seventh place in the ranking is occupied by the Korean electric train KTX Sancheon. Its speed is from 305 to 352 kilometers. The locomotive started its first route in 2009. The developer is the world famous company Hyundai Rotem,which took the French TGV technology as the basis for the creation of the locomotive.

Electric train belongs to South Korea National Railway. And despite the record set in 2004 (352 km / h), the express speed almost never exceeds 305 kilometers. All this for security reasons, of course. KTX Sancheon is a roomy (up to 363 passengers), comfortable and modern model, plying on the routes Seoul - Busan and Yongsan - Mokpo (via Gwangju).

Italy

In sixth place is the Italian Express ETR-500. Its full name is Elettro Treno Rapido 500. The train was launched in Rome in 1993. The average operating speed of the express train is 300 km/h. Well, the locomotive set its record of 362 kilometers in 2009, while driving through the tunnel connecting Bologna with Florence.

The time it takes the ETR-500 to cover its route (Bologna - Milan) is just under an hour. By the way, this year in Italy it is planned to produce six locomotives of the new generation ETR-100 at once. These cars will be able to pick up speed from 350 to 400 km/h.

Spain

The top five are opened by Spanish high-speed trains, produced by Alta Velocidad Española trading company, or AVE for short. This abbreviation is not accidental. In Spanish, "ave" means "bird". The company's most famous model is the AVE Talgo-350 luxury express train. He really flies like a bird, reaching speeds of 330 km/h.

AVE Talgo-350 is a high-speed, comfortable train with a capacity of up to 318 people. It runs between Madrid,Valladolid and Barcelona. In 2004, during tests and trials, the locomotive was able to accelerate to a top speed of 365 km/h. By the way, it is also called "duck". The train received this nickname due to its long front, outwardly strongly reminiscent of a duck's beak.

China

China's high-speed locomotives are both fourth and third.

On the fourth - "pure Chinese" CRH380A. Its manufacturer is the largest national company for the production of railway vehicles - CSR Qingdao Sifang Locomotive and Rolling Stock Company. The locomotive develops speed up to 380 kilometers per hour. And on tests, he set his record - 486 kilometers. CRH380A is a comfortable and roomy Beijing-Shanghai, Shanghai-Hangzhou and Guangzhou-Wuhan high-speed train. He began to make his daily flights from September 2010.

Third place - for the Chinese Shanghai Maglev Train. He is able to reach speeds from 431 to 501 kilometers per hour. The train works on the principle of the Maglev magnetic suspension, which the Germans did not succeed in. By the way, the Shanghai Maglev was developed not by the Chinese, but by the same Germans. And its prototype was the German locomotive Transrapid SMT. The Chinese high-speed train was put into operation in 2004 in the city of Shanghai. The maximum speed with which it runs daily on its route Shanghai - airport does not exceed 431 km / h. However, he can do more. On tests, the locomotive was dispersed to 501 kilometers per hour!

France

The second fastest trains in the world are trainsFrench TGV series. They travel on routes from France to Switzerland and Germany. The average speed of the models is 320 km/h. The record was set in 2007 and amounted to 574.8 km/h.

French high-speed trains of the Train a Grande Vitesse system are among the most famous and fastest in the world. They broke world speed records several times. The development of such models began in France in the 1960s. This was a kind of response to the creation by the Japanese of their Shinkansen. Today, France boasts huge high-speed lines (over 1,700 kilometers), as well as 4,000 locomotives of seven types.

Land of the Rising Sun

So we come to the fastest train in the world. And this is the Japanese Shinkansen series. The speed of the high-speed train is 581 km/h. She breaks all world records to date. Japan became the first country to separate lines from its rail system for high-speed routes. The first such train made its pilot flight in 1964. It was timed to coincide with the Tokyo Olympics. Route: Tokyo - Osaka.

The first Shinkansen locomotive was made in the form of a bullet, hence the name. Even today, Japanese trains are called "bullets" in the old fashioned way. It also symbolizes their high speed feature. Express trains really fly at the speed of a bullet. The normal speed for a Shinkansen is 443 km/h. And the absolute world record, which was set in 2003, reaches 581 kilometers.

Modern "Shinkansen" -comfortable high-speed express, which has sixteen durable and stable cars. The Japanese locomotive is not only the fastest in the world, but also the safest. For forty-five years of operation, trains of this brand have never had a major accident! No casu alties, no damage - total safety.

By the way, the Tokyo rail network is the busiest in the world. During its existence, the Shinkansen trains have carried more than six billion passengers! No other line can boast such numbers.

The fastest, safest and most accurate in the world. So, the distance from Osaka to Tokyo by locomotive flies in 145 minutes. And in 2003, having made 160 such flights, the Shinkansen deviated from the schedule by only six seconds…

Russia

Our country, of course, cannot boast of such impressive figures, and Russian locomotives do not reach 300 km/h. However, we also boast high-speed routes.

Until 2009, the ER200 train followed the route Moscow - St. Petersburg. Its speed, as you can already understand from the name, was 200 km / h. And during the tests, the locomotive was able to disperse up to 210 kilometers. In 2009, this miracle of technology was written off, and the Sapsan high-speed train came in its place. The name of the locomotive was in honor of the peregrine falcon, which is considered the fastest bird in the world. The train is designed and assembled in Germany. At its peak, it can reach speeds of up to 300 km / h. Manufacturer (Siemens) installedmaximum design speed of 350 kilometers per hour. During test trials on our railways, the locomotive was accelerated to 290 km/h. The train "Sapsan" moves along the route Moscow - St. Petersburg. It covers this distance in four hours, the average speed is 166 km/h. It is no longer overclocked for safety reasons. By the way, the express train from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod generally moves at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour…

In Russia, the second place after Sapsan is the high-speed train Lastochka. It was also developed by the German company Siemens. He was specially sent to Russia for the beginning of the Winter Olympics in Sochi. It consists of five wagons and is 130 meters long. It can also be operated in dual mode (with the addition of five more cars). The speed of the "Swallow" is lower - up to 160 km / h. It is designed for suburban routes and is equipped with high platforms. Today, such trains run from Moscow, St. Petersburg and Krasnodar. And also as electric trains in Sochi and Tuapse.

In Russia, unlike other countries, there are no separate dedicated high-speed lines. Both the high-speed train "Lastochka" and the no less fast "Sapsan" run along the previously existing, albeit modernized, tracks. In addition, in order to introduce these express trains, several slower routes had to be removed. This, in turn, caused a lot of discontent among the local population. Moreover, the cost of tickets for such trains is quite high, even by the standards of Europe and Asia. For a trip in a locomotive from Moscow to St. Petersburg, you will pay the same amount ashow much would you give if you flew there by plane.