The railway has been around for hundreds of years. And during this time, trains traveled a huge evolutionary path from massive trolleys moved by hand traction to super-fast cars operating on the principle of magnetic levitation. Today, express trains are available in almost every country. Let's see what 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 - Belgian high-speed trains of the TGV series (Train à Grande Vitesse). These trains were developed in early 1987 and were supposed to go from Amsterdam to Paris, passing Cologne and Brussels. Express trains were put into operation in 1997.
The modern HSL 1 runs on a high-speed line that connects the capital of Belgium with the French railway. The train travels from Paris to Brussels (300 km) in just 82 minutes. And its average speed is approaching 300 kilometers per hour. Incidentally, this method of transportation is not cheap. A ticket for a high-speed train costs 88 euros (two times cheaper than 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 Japanese Shinkansen trains. The maximum working speed of the Taiwan Express is 300 kilometers per hour. However, in 2005 the mark reached 315 kilometers. That allowed the THSR 700T to enter the top ten fastest.
The locomotive runs from Northern Taipei to southern Kaohsiung. In twelve comfortable cars, up to 989 passengers can ride in one trip. The train is famous not only for its speed, but also for safety and accuracy.
Germany
The 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 both 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 merger. The test model ICE-V in test mode developed 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, operating on the Maglev system. On this branch, trains will be able to pick up speed up to 420 kilometers. But due to the disaster 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 go along this railway line only as sightseeing tours and attractions.
England
In eighth place in the ranking are high-speed trains in the UK. The best representatives are the British Rail Class 373 and Eurostar. Their speed ranges from 300 to 335 kilometers. These electric trains of the TGV series (French model) were commissioned in 1994 and run between three countries: Great Britain, France and Belgium. Their path lies through the famous Channel Tunnel. By the way, this tunnel is the second longest in the whole world.
If we return to speed, then 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 with such a train takes 136 minutes.
London trains are the most spacious in the world. They can go 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 in the train.
South Korea
Seventh place in the ranking is the Korean electric train KTX Sancheon. Its speed is from 305 to 352 kilometers. The locomotive began its first route in 2009. Developer - a world famous company
Hyundai Rotem, which took French TGV technology as the basis for the creation of the locomotive.
The electric train belongs to the national railway of South Korea. And despite the record set in 2004 (352 km / h), the express speed almost never exceeds the mark of 305 kilometers. All of this is for security reasons, of course. KTX Sancheon - roomy (up to 363 passengers), comfortable and modern model, plying the routes Seoul - Busan and Yonsan - Mokpo (via Gwangju).
Italy
In sixth place is the Italian express ETR-500. Its full name is Elettro Treno Rapido 500. The train was released in Rome in 1993. The average express speed is 300 km / h. Well, the locomotive set its record of 362 kilometers in 2009, while driving along the tunnel connecting Bologna to Florence.
The time for which the ETR-500 overcomes its route (Bologna - Milan) is a little less than an hour. By the way, this year in Italy it is planned to release six locomotives of a new generation ETR-100 at once. These cars will be able to pick up speed from 350 to 400 km / h.
Spain
The five fastest are opened by Spanish high-speed trains produced by the trading company Alta Velocidad Española, or abbreviated AVE. Such an abbreviation is not accidental. In Spanish, "ave" means "bird." The most famous model of the company is the AVE Talgo-350 luxury express train. It really flies like a bird, reaching a speed of 330 km / h.
AVE Talgo-350 is a high-speed comfortable train for up to 318 people. It runs between Madrid, Valladolid and Barcelona. In 2004, during tests and tests, the locomotive was able to accelerate to a top speed of 365 km / h. By the way, it is also called the "duck." The train received such a nickname due to its long front, which looks very much like a duck's beak.
China
And the fourth and third places are occupied by Chinese high-speed locomotives.
On the fourth - “pure Chinese” CRH380A. Its manufacturer is the largest national company for the production of railway machines - CSR Qingdao Sifang Locomotive and Rolling Stock Company. The locomotive speeds up to 380 kilometers per hour. And in the tests, he set his record - 486 kilometers. CRH380A - a comfortable and roomy high-speed train Beijing - Shanghai, Shanghai - Hangzhou and Guangzhou - Wuhan. He began to make his daily flights in September 2010.
Third place - behind the Chinese Shanghai Maglev Train. He is able to reach speeds from 431 to 501 kilometers per hour. The train operates on the principle of the Maglev magnetic suspension, which the Germans never asked. By the way, Shanghai Maglev was not developed by the Chinese, but by the same Germans. And its prototype was the German locomotive Transrapid SMT. The Chinese high-speed train was commissioned in 2004 in Shanghai. The maximum speed with which it daily runs on its route Shanghai - Airport does not exceed 431 km / h. However, he can do more. In tests, the locomotive was dispersed to 501 kilometers per hour!
France
The second in the world in speed are trains of the French TGV series. They travel 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.
The French high-speed trains Train and Grande Vitesse are among the most famous and fastest in the world. They beat 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 of the Japanese "Shinkansen." Today, France boasts huge high-speed lines (more than 1,700 kilometers), as well as 4,000 locomotives of seven kinds.
Land of the Rising Sun
So, we have 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 today. Japan was the first country to provide separate lines for high-speed routes from its railway system. The first such train made its pilot flight in 1964. This 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 corresponding name. Even today, Japanese trains are called "bullets" in the old manner. It also symbolizes their high speed feature. Express trains really fly at the speed of a bullet. The usual speed for the Shinkansen is 443 km / h. And the absolute world record, which was set in 2003, reaches 581 kilometers.
The modern Shinkansen is a comfortable high-speed express train with sixteen strong and stable wagons. 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 casualties, no damage - complete safety.
Incidentally, the Tokyo railway network is the busiest in the world. Over the course of its existence, the Shinkansen trains carried more than six billion passengers! No other line can boast of such numbers.
The fastest, safest, and also the most accurate in the world. So, the distance from Osaka to Tokyo locomotive flies in 145 minutes. And in 2003, having completed 160 such flights, Sinkansen deviated from the schedule by only six seconds ...
Russia
Our country, of course, cannot boast of such impressive numbers, and Russian locomotives are not gaining 300 km / h. However, we also boast high-speed routes.
Until 2009, the ER200 train followed the route Moscow - St. Petersburg. Its speed, as can be understood from the name, was 200 km / h. And during the tests, the locomotive was able to accelerate to 210 kilometers. In 2009, this miracle of technology was written off, and the Sapsan high-speed train came in its place. The locomotive received this name 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. The manufacturer (Siemens) set a maximum design speed of 350 kilometers per hour. During test trials on our railways, the locomotive was dispersed to 290 km / h. The Sapsan train moves along the route Moscow - Peter. It covers this distance in four hours, the average speed is 166 km / h. It is no longer dispersed 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, in second place after the Sapsan is the high-speed train Lastochka. It was also developed by the German company Siemens. He was specially sent to Russia at the beginning of the Winter Olympics in Sochi. It consists of five wagons and reaches a length of 130 meters. It can also be operated in dual mode (with the addition of five more cars). Speed "Swallows" 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 trains in Sochi and Tuapse.
In Russia, unlike other countries, there are no separately allocated high-speed lines. And the high-speed train "Swallow", and no less fast "Sapsan" go along the already 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 as much as you would if you flew there by plane.