The evolution of transport on the railway has come a long way from trolleys to high-speed electric trains and trains. In Europe, for example, this type of transport competes well with air travel, since short distances between countries are covered on the ground in the same time as in the sky. The article will talk about the super speeds with which trains are able to travel around the world.

At the end of the article we have prepared a surprise 🎁 - an exciting test to test your attentiveness 😃

Leaders among high-speed trains in the world

Railroad high-speed transport today is represented by unusual examples. And all because in 1969, high-tech trains were invented that glide along the tracks using “levitation.” The first magnetic levitation train, Transrapid 02, moved at a speed of 90 km/h. Of course, Maglevs are the transport of the future. Most of speed record holders belong to this class.

The leader of the rating is represented by the Japanese maglev. The tests were carried out in Yamanashi Prefecture. On a special section, the speed of the fastest train was recorded - 603 km/h. The fast ride is almost silent, since the absence of wheels ensures smooth movement. By the way, on the same section in 2003, the Japanese train MLX 01 set a speed record of 581 km/h.

Interesting!

Shinkansen are used on commercial routes. When carrying passengers, the train reaches a speed of 443 km/h.

Based on the results of 2015, the French rail train takes second place in the overall standings. During the test run in France, journalists and service personnel were present in the carriages. The speed that the TGV reached is an impressive 574.8 km/h. A train loaded with passengers on routes moves no faster than 320 km/h.

Another Japanese Express runs at an amazing speed of 517 km/h. It is worth noting that such a maglev never carried passengers, since it was developed as a “tester” for the creation of commercial trains.

The record speed for the Harmony series was set on the Xuzhou–Benb section and amounted to 487.3 km/h. In operation, the train reaches 380 km/h, which is considered the highest average speed among all contenders for leadership.

China has released a maglev capable of not only reaching, but also maintaining a speed of 431 km/h, which is considered another record. Thus, in one and a half minutes Shanghai literally flies 10.5 kilometers. The maximum possible speed of a Chinese train is 501 km/h.

The Japanese Express at one time removed the Aerotrain I80HV from the pedestal of fame, showing a mark of 431 km/h on a test run. A special feature of the sample was the possibility of an instant brake. Thus, not only a high-speed, but also a fairly safe carrier has been created.

The pearl of the express project from France was jet engine. This type of device is used on airplanes. The developers of the aerotrain made the right decision, as they managed to reach 430 km/h, which allowed the French brainchild to remain the undisputed leader among the fastest trains for 15 years.

The name of another Chinese train includes the speed limit on the route - 380 km/h. Although the potential of levitating railway transport indicates a figure of 486 km/h.

Interesting!

The CRH380A can accommodate 500 people. Boarding the train is done using a ramp, just like on an airplane.

Fuxing Hao CR400AF/BF

A representative of a conventional electric train with an impossible speed of 400 km/h. There are two representatives released in the Fuxing Hao series - Blue Dolphin and Golden Phoenix. Both run between two train stations connecting southern Beijing and Hongqiao.

Since the commissioning of Fuxing Hao, the time required to travel the specified route has been reduced from 10 hours to 5. And the previous leader in speed, Harmony-380A, with a permissible speed of 380 km/h, lost the palm.

Based on the prototype of the Chinese blue dolphin, a high-speed train was produced in Italy, which is considered the fastest in Europe. A speed of 400 km/h allows passengers to be transported from Rome to Milan in 3 hours. In addition, the designers worked hard to create a technologically advanced product.

The components and components of the Italian train are stable, and the modern functionality amazes the imagination of fellow travelers.

The prototype of the high-speed Italian train was the TGV Est V150. The maximum speed of the AVG traveling through major Italian cities is 360 km/h. However, within the country it is permissible to travel at a speed no higher than 300 km/h.

It is noteworthy that when creating the express, distribution traction was used. Thus, a reduction in noise levels on trains was achieved, both inside and outside.

Siemens Velaro E/AVS 103

The train from Spain runs on the Barcelona – Paris route. Renfe AVE covers this distance in less than 6 hours at a speed of 350 km/h. This is not the fastest European railway transport, but in its homeland it is the absolute leader.

The model with a speed of 350 km/h was dubbed the flying pilgrim, since the main route since 2017 is Mecca-Medina. Previously, believers took 5 hours to reach holy places. Now Haramain flies a distance of 452 km in 2 hours.

Interesting!

The construction of the railway in Saudi Arabia is connected not only with the need to increase the speed of passenger traffic, but also to reduce congestion on highways.

In Germany, Deutsche operates the Berlin-Munich route, flying this distance at a speed of 330 km/h. Separately, it is worth mentioning the design of the train. Stylish, white - silver color and bright red line looks premium. In the future, a strategic route “Frankfurt - London” is being developed specifically for this model.

Interesting!

ICE series trains are equipped with an active tilt system. So, in a tilting train, when it reaches a speed of 70 km/h and enters a turn, the cars move slightly inward, which allows them to overcome the centrifugal force.

KTX2

North Korea is not left out of the global race. In its homeland, KTX2 is affectionately called a “bullet”, because the maximum possible speed of the train is 352 km/h. Naturally, on commercial routes the speed limit is lower.

The railway in South Korea, launched in 2004, is considered the fastest. Some routes opened during the 2018 Olympics. The takashi path connects the international airport and the famous ski resort of Pyeongchang. This distance by train took at least 6 hours. On Korail, tourists arrive at the snowy slopes in 2 hours, rushing at a speed of 330 km/h.

The Eurostar series boasts a 22-year history. In 2015, one of the Eurostars underwent a redesign. The potential speed is indicated in the name of the high-speed train. The main route includes 3 key points - Paris, London and Brussels.

Interesting!

Despite the ease of travel between the capitals of European cities, residents and tourists still prefer air travel. Meanwhile, the cost of a plane ticket is several times higher than on the supersonic Eurostar E320.

The German train is called "business" because half of the passengers traveling between Brussels and Paris are on work-related trips. The route also includes Amsterdam and Cologne, and since 2015, Dortmund. Thalys commercial travel speed is 300 km/h.

A year ago, on March 5, 2017, a series of trains that runs between Tokyo and Aomori debuted in Japan. To cover a section of 675 kilometers, Hayabusa will take 3 hours. The declared speed of commercial transportation is 300 km/h, and this takes into account the absence of a magnetic levitation.

This type of peregrine falcon, as the manufacturer notes, will continue to be improved. It is planned to increase the speed of a loaded train to 320 km/h.

The fastest trains in Russia

Russia is not famous for fast railways and is still very far from the leaders in this aspect - Japan, China and France. But still, trains running on the territory of the Russian Federation deserve special attention.

Peregrine Falcon

Development of the German company Siemens specifically for JSC Russian Railways. The first flight took place in 2009 and today the routes remain unchanged - Moscow - St. Petersburg and Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod. The Sapsan is capable of reaching speeds of 300 km/h. The permitted limit is limited to 250 km/h. The cool express has become an alternative to flights between Moscow and St. Petersburg, since taking into account the time spent on getting to the airport, the train is more profitable.

Hundreds of years have passed since the invention of the railway. Railway transport has overcome a long evolutionary path of development from hand-pulled massive trolleys to modern super-high-speed express trains operating on the principle of magnetic levitation, which have already become commonplace in many countries around the world. This collection will feature the most fast trains, capable of reaching speeds of at least 300 km per hour.

11th place. HSL 1 (High-Speed ​​Line 1)- speed 300 km/h
HSL 1 is a Belgian high-speed electric train of the TGV series (Train à Grande Vitesse - "high-speed train" in French), whose operating speed is 300 km/h, runs on a high-speed railway line connecting Brussels with the French railway line LGV Nord. It was put into operation in December 1997.

10th place. - speed 300 - 315 km/h
THSR 700T is a high-speed train on the island of Taiwan, developed based on Japanese Shinkansen trains. The train, which has a maximum operating speed of 300 km/h, connects northern Taipei and southern Kaohsiung. It consists of 12 comfortable carriages and can accommodate 989 passengers. The speed record for this train was set in 2005 and is 315 km/h.

9th place. - speed 320 km/h
ICE are high-speed trains common in Germany and neighboring countries. On the Strasbourg-Paris line, InterCity Express reaches speeds of up to 320 km/h. Today ICEs are the main type of trains traveling on long distances, from all represented by German Railways. These trains are also supplied to Russia, where they are used on the Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod and Moscow - St. Petersburg high-speed railway lines.

8th place. - speed 300 - 334.7 km/h
Eurostar or British Rail Class 373 is a British high-speed electric train of the TVG series, running between the UK, Belgium and France through the English Channel Tunnel, which is the second longest railway tunnel in the world. The train's capacity is 900 passengers, its operating speed reaches 300 km/h, and the speed record for this train was set in 2003 and is equal to 334.7 km/h. The journey from London to Paris by Eurostar takes 2 hours 16 minutes.

7th place. - speed 305 - 352 km/h
Sancheon, formerly known as KTX II, entered service in South Korea in 2009. It was built by Hyundai Rotem based on technology from French TGV trains and is owned by Korail, the national railway operator of South Korea. Although it can reach speeds of up to 352 km/h (the record was set in 2004), for safety reasons it does not go faster than 305 km/h. The comfortable train with a capacity of 363 passengers operates on the route Yongsan - Gwangju - Mokpo and Seoul - Busan.

6th place. - speed 300 - 362 km/h
For the ETR-500 electric train, released in Italy in 1993, the operating speed reaches 300 km/h, and the speed record was set in 2009 in the tunnel between Bologna and Florence and is 362 km/h. The train covers the distance from the center of Bologna to Milan in 56 minutes. The release of six ETR-1000 trains is planned for 2014, which will reach speeds from 360 to 400 km/h.

5th place. - speed 330 - 365 km/h
AVE (Alta Velocidad Española) - trademark Spanish operating company railways Renfe-Operadora. The abbreviation is also a play on the word "bird" (ave) in Spanish. All AVE class trains are high-speed, but the AVE Talgo-350 electric train with a capacity of 318 passengers, accelerating up to 330 km/h on the routes Madrid - Valladolid and Madrid - Barcelona, ​​is especially fast. In 2004, during testing, the train reached a speed of 365 km/h. Because of appearance, similar to a duck's beak, the AVE Talgo-350 was nicknamed Pato (duck in Spanish).

4th place. - speed 380 - 486.1 km/h
The Chinese train CRH380A is designed for a maximum operating speed of 380 km/h, while the speed record for such a train is 486.1 km/h. The production of these iron monsters is carried out by the largest railway manufacturer in China - CSR Qingdao Sifang Locomotive and Rolling Stock Company. The high-speed 8-car train with an “airplane-style” interior can accommodate 494 passengers. In September 2010, the CRH-380A was put into service for the first time on the Shanghai - Nanjing route. It later began operating daily flights on the Wuhan-Guangzhou and Shanghai-Hangzhou lines.

3rd place. - speed 431 - 501 km/h
The Shanghai Maglev is a Chinese high-speed maglev train that has been operating in Shanghai since 2004. The maximum speed of the express train is 431 km/h, which allows you to cover the distance from the city center to the airport (30 km) in just 7-8 minutes. In a test run on November 12, 2003, this train reached a speed of 501 km/h. The developers of the train are not the Chinese, but the Germans. The prototype of the Shanghai Maglev Train was the Transrapid SMT model.

2nd place. - speed 320 - 574.8 km/h

These French TVG series trains operate between France and Switzerland and between France and Germany. Operating speed - 320 km/h. At the same time, the TGV POS model holds the speed record among rail trains - in 2007, this train was able to accelerate to 574.8 km per hour.

1 place. Shinkansen series trains- speed 320 - 581 km/h
Shinkansen (Shinkansen - "new line" in Japanese) is a network of Japanese high-speed trains, often called "bullet" trains, and for good reason - the Shinkansen speed record for conventional railway lines is 443 km/h (the record was set in 1996 ), A maglev 581 km/h, which is an absolute world record for trains(the record was set in 2003). The first high-speed train in Japan went into operation in 1964. Today, Shinkansen express trains, consisting of sixteen cars, cover the distance between Osaka and Tokyo in 2 hours and 25 minutes. The train has a peculiar elongated nose, thanks to which it received the nickname “platypus”. By the way, Shinkansen trains have the status of not only one of the fastest trains, but also the safest - in 40 years of operation there has not been a single major accident.

17.12.2018 , 15:18 23140

Modern high-speed trains are quite capable of competing with passenger planes. Their speed reaches 600 km/h, and boarding and disembarking passengers is easier and more efficient than on aircraft. We bring to your attention the top 10 fastest trains in the world.

10th place. Taiwanese THSR 700T

This train operates on the Taipei – Kaohsiung route. He covers the distance between these cities (335.5 km) in 1.5 hours. The stopping distance of the train reaches 4 km.

9th place. German InterCity Express

ICE trains are the fastest in Germany. They operate between major German cities. They include play compartments for children and a bistro car.

8th place. English Eurostar

The famous Eurostar train connects England with France, Belgium and the Netherlands. It moves through a tunnel built under the English Channel. It covers the distance between London and Paris in 2 hours 16 minutes.

7th place. Korean KTX Sancheon

This train is designed to carry 363 passengers. Its maximum speed is 352 km/h, but for the safety of passengers on commercial routes it only accelerates to 305 km/h.

6th place. Italian ETR-500

The ETR-500 electric train made its first trip in 1993. Its operating speed is 300 km/h, the maximum possible speed is 362 km/h. The train covers the distance between Milan and Bologna (215 km) in 56 minutes.

5th place. Spanish AVE Talgo-350

The abbreviation AVW stands for "bird". The Spaniards noticed that the front of the head car resembled a duck's beak and nicknamed the train "duck". The bird train covers the 330 km between Madrid and Barcelona in just one hour.

4th place. Chinese CRH380A

3rd place. Chinese Maglev Train

The top three is opened by the Chinese Maglev Train. This train departs every 15 minutes from the center of Shanghai and goes to Shanghai Airport. It covers the distance between the end points, equal to 30 km, in 7.5 minutes.

2nd place. French TGV POS

The TGV POS train serves routes between France and major German and Swiss cities. Its 10 carriages are designed for 377 passengers. The operating speed of the train is 320 km/h, the maximum possible speed is 574.8 km/h.

1st place. Japanese Shinkansen

The undisputed leader of our rating is the Japanese Shinkansen train, whose name translates as “new highway”. During operational tests, the train reached a record high speed of 603 km/h. During the 40 years of operation of this train, not a single accident was recorded.

Travel by rail almost immediately after the invention of the steam locomotive became the most in a fast way overcoming distances, and this situation remained for more than a century. Only in the 20th century, which became the era of development of the automobile industry and aviation, did this primacy begin to be challenged. But engineering does not stand still, and modern express trains, the design of which uses many aerospace technologies, today can easily compete in speed with other modes of transport.

Train race

Technical rivalry between countries is expressed in different ways, including in the desire to create the fastest train in the world. The leadership in this race has been shared in recent decades by Japan, France and Germany, but the rapid development of the industrial and scientific base in the countries of the Asian region gives reason to assume that China and South Korea will soon challenge traditional producers. In addition to economic feasibility, the answer to the question of which train is the fastest determines the foreign trade and even political prestige of the state, just as in the mid-20th century world leaders were concerned about space priority. The similarity is enhanced by the technological intensity of the latest railway projects.

Technical problems and their solutions

The speed of any ground vehicle vehicle limited high levels friction, air resistance and safety factors. All three of these circumstances are fundamentally insurmountable obstacles, but this does not mean that the degree of their impact cannot be reduced. The experience accumulated by aircraft manufacturers in creating aerodynamic forms, monorail and magnetic levitation technologies are the main paths taken by the creators of modern railways. are created for their operation on a regular railway track or other specially laid overpasses. A scientific breakthrough in the field of magnetism physics has created the conditions for the application latest technologies, allowing you to literally fly over the rails.

New Japanese gauge

Before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the world's fastest train was created to transport guests to sports venues. Its name "Shinkansen" is translated from Japanese as "new track", the size of which was made according to the mainland standard. The speed was impressive, at that time it was fantastic. In some sections, the train reached a speed of 270 km/h, allowing it to reach Osaka in three hours. The project turned out to be quite expensive, but paid for itself in three years. The main difficulty was creating a high-precision railway track, but there were other technical problems that received original solutions.

Competition between Japanese and French

The speed record was broken by the French in the early seventies. A TGV train travels at speeds of over 330 km/h, which is currently considered the norm for this type of transport. But it turned out that the Japanese Shinkansen project has the most important technical characteristics any technical system, namely, modification potential. The opportunity to improve it allowed us to maintain our championship. The absolute world record is 581 km/h, this figure gives rise to another, unofficial name for the Shinkansen, “bullet”. Today, almost half a century after the start of service on the Osaka-Tokyo line, it is the fastest train in the world.

What are the French good at?

Despite its considerable age (it was commissioned in 1971), the French “Gran Vitesse” TGV firmly holds second place. But, like athletes, trains perform in different categories. In 2007, this miracle of technology accelerated to a record speed of almost 575 km/h. This value is inferior to the achievement of its Japanese counterpart, but the fact is that TGV POS models were not used in the design. Thus, this French Express is the fastest train in the world moving on regular rails. There is one more feature of this unique vehicle: its length is almost 400 meters. This is the largest high-speed train in the world in terms of capacity.

Chinese "German"

Passengers arriving on flights can reach the city in a matter of minutes. The final stop of the Maglev train is located right in the terminal. Having left the accordion-style ramp and walked through the huge terminal building, the arrivals enter a carriage whose interior is no different from a transcontinental jet airliner: the same airplane seats, and even pretty flight attendants. The distance to the nearest metro station is more than 30 kilometers; this train covers it in about seven minutes. On the scoreboard installed above entrance doors, you can track the speed developed, it exceeds 500 km/h after acceleration in the daytime. At night, the express train moves slightly slower (430 km/h), for safety reasons. As the name suggests, the designers overcame It should be noted that, despite its Chinese registration, the Shanghai Maglev Train has German roots. It was created in Germany by specialists from Transrapid, which has developed other high-speed trains in the world. The SMT model, which became the basis of the Shanghai Maglev, was modified in accordance with the customer’s wishes. The fare for this miracle of technology is quite affordable - 40 yuan, which corresponds to approximately five US dollars.

What about us?

Russian successes in high-speed rail transport have so far been modest. The 250 km/h that Sapsan reaches until recently seemed like a fantastic result, but compared to the achievements of leading manufacturers, it is no longer impressive. Moreover, despite Russian name, it is of foreign origin, made in Germany worldwide well-known company Siemens. This express, running between St. Petersburg and Moscow, was not included in the top ten. It is unknown whether Russian designers will try to create the world's fastest train in the near future. The development costs are high, but the accompanying infrastructure will cost much more. However, Russia still remains a great railway power, both in terms of the total length of tracks, and in terms of transported cargo volumes, and in passenger traffic. So time will tell.

07/14/2016 at 12:19 · Pavlofox · 7 380

The fastest trains in the world

At the moment, in Europe and China there is a process of displacement of air carriers by railway companies. To some extent this is due to the fact that the fastest trains in the world capable of competing in speed with an airliner. Some modern railway vehicles reach speeds of over 600 km/h, while some passenger aircraft accelerate in airspace only to 510 km/h (Yak-40). It was possible to achieve such high speed indicators thanks to innovative technology magnetic suspension of trains. Ultra-fast machines made using this technology are called maglevs or magnetic planes.

The top 10 included the fastest trains in the world throughout the history of railways.

10. Transrapid 06 | Speed ​​412 km/h

Transrapid 06 (Germany) opens the ten fastest trains in the world. Its predecessor, Transrapid 05, created in 1979, was the world's first magnetic plane. TransRapid 06 is a two-level maglev capable of reaching a maximum speed of 412 km/h. The record was set in January 1988.

9. Aerotrain I80HV | Speed ​​430 km/h

Aerotrain I80HV(France) ranks ninth in the top fastest trains in the world. The uniqueness of this experimental model was that the engineers used not electric motors, but a jet engine similar to what is installed on airplanes. The experimental Aerotrain project was developed from 1965 to 1977 by engineer Jean Bertin. The maximum speed that this train showed was 430 km/h. The tests took place on March 5, 1974. For 15 years, this world record could not be broken by any railway vehicle. But then a series of TGV trains appeared, which surpassed the legendary Aerotrain I80HV in speed. Currently, only one restored retro model, Aerotrain 02, remains from the project, which is located in Paris. The remaining prototypes were destroyed in a massive fire.

8. MLU002N | Speed ​​431 km/h

MLU002 N(Japan) - high-speed maglev, one of the fastest trains in the world. It was developed in 1994 as a trial test model. During testing, the MLU002N reached a speed of 431 km/h, which is why it made it onto our list. The uniqueness of magnetic planes is that even at maximum speed they can stop abruptly in the required place.

7. Shinkansen | Speed ​​442.5 km/h

(Japan) ranks seventh in the list of fastest trains. As a result of testing, the super-express accelerated to 442.5 km/h. It was built for high-speed passenger transportation. Shinkasens in Japan run on special high-speed tracks that are separate from other trains and have their own platforms. The shinkasen system is the main transport artery of Japan. average speed Magnetic planes of this series have a speed of 320 km/h. Shinkansen are also considered to be the safest high-speed trains in the world, with no fatalities or serious injuries reported in half a century.

6. Transrapid 07 | Speed ​​450 km/h

Transrapid 07 (Germany) - one of the highest speed trains in the world, which is a successor to TransRapid 06. It was created with the purpose of transporting passengers from Berlin to Hamburg. But due to insufficient funding, the project had to be curtailed. During testing carried out in 1993, TransRapid reached speeds of up to 450 km/h, thereby going down in history as one of the fastest magnetic planes.

5. Harmony-380A | Speed ​​486.1 km/h

Or CRH380A (China) ranks fifth in the ranking of the fastest trains in the world. The record was set during a test run of the Hese-380A train on the section between the cities of Zaozhuang and Benpu on the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway in 2010. During the tests, he covered a 220 km section at a speed of 486.1 km/h. And this is already quite at the level of the new An-140 regional aircraft. The Chinese government has been actively investing in the development of high-speed railways throughout the 21st century.

4. Transrapid08 | Speed ​​500 km/h

Transrapid08 (China) or Shanghai Maglev is one of the fastest trains in the world. The maximum speed developed by the magnetic plane is 500 km/h. TransRapid 08 operates 14 hours a day on the route and can carry up to 440 passengers per trip. On average (as of the end of 2007) approximately 7,500 passengers were carried each day. The average speed of ultra-fast railway transport is 300 km/h.

3.ML-500R | Speed ​​517 km/h

M.L.-500 R(Japan) opens the top three high-speed trains in the world with an absolute speed of 517 km/h. Magnetoplane has never been used as public transport. This is one of the first prototypes created by the Japanese for testing purposes and served as an example for the creation of other fast maglev trains.

2. TGVEst V150 | Speed ​​574.8 km/h

TGVEstV150 (France) ranks second in the ranking of the fastest trains in the world. During the experiment on April 3, 2007, the speed record for a rail car with traditional wheels was 574.8 km/h. The electric train was formed from two head motor cars from TGV POS No. 4402, which were modernized, and three intermediate cars from TGV Duplex. The motor cars were equipped with more powerful traction electric motors, which is why the output power of the electric train increased from 9.3 MW to 19.6 MW, the wheels were replaced with new ones largest diameter(1020 mm, instead of 920 mm), and to reduce air resistance, the gaps between the cars were closed. Also, the voltage in the contact network was raised from 25 kV to 31 kV, and more than 600 different sensors were placed on the train. At the beginning of 2007, experimental trips were carried out on the line, during which an unofficial record of 554.3 km/h was set on February 13, and on April 3 at large quantities journalists and correspondents accelerated the train to a speed of 574.8 km/h, thereby officially setting a new world speed record for rail trains. The driver of the TGV Est V150, driver Eric Piezak, said after the tests that he was allowed to accelerate the car to a speed not exceeding 575 km/h.

1.MLX 01 | Speed ​​603 km/h

(Japan) is the fastest train in the world, the absolute record of which is 603 km/h. The high-speed machine is based on magnetic suspension technology. For half a century, previous trains of the same series have been a symbol of reliability and speed. In 2003, a train from this series was able to accelerate to 581 km/h with passengers on board, and in April 2015 an absolute world record was set - 603 km/h. MLX 01 is the absolute flagship among trains around the world. Its average speed is about 300 km/h.

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