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| {{Redirect|High speed train|an article about the 'High Speed Train' in the United Kingdom|InterCity 125}}
| | I am Laverne from Leinig. I am learning to play the Lute. Other hobbies are Squash.<br><br>my site - [http://baycalling.com/wiki/How_To_Take_Control_Of_Your_Dental_Hygiene baycalling.com] |
| {{For|the term 'higher speed rail' for services with speeds less than {{convert|241.4|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}|Higher speed rail}}
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| {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2012}}
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| [[File:Mountfujijapan.jpg|thumb|300px|Iconic image of the [[Tōkaidō Shinkansen]] high-speed line in Japan, with [[Mount Fuji]] in the background]]
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| {{train topics}}
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| '''High-speed rail''' is a type of [[rail transport]] that operates significantly faster than traditional rail traffic, using an integrated system of specialized [[rolling stock]] and dedicated tracks. The first such system began operations in [[Japan]] in 1964 and was widely known as the [[Tōkaidō Shinkansen|bullet train]]. High-speed trains normally operate on [[standard gauge]] tracks of [[continuously welded rail]] on [[Grade separation|grade separated]] [[Right-of-way (transportation)|right-of-way]] that incorporates a large [[Minimum railway curve radius|turning radius]] in its design.
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| Many countries have developed high-speed rail to connect major cities, including [[China]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Italy]], [[Taiwan]], [[Turkey]], [[South Korea]] and [[Spain]]. {{As of|2011}} the maximum commercial speed on most high-speed rail lines was about {{convert|300|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on|disp=5}}.
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| While high-speed rail is usually designed for passenger travel, some high-speed systems also offer [[freight]] service. For instance, the French mail service ''[[La Poste (France)|La Poste]]'' owns a few [[SNCF TGV La Poste|special TGV trains]] for carrying postal freight.
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| {{toclimit|3}}
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| ==Definitions==
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| {{See also|Passenger rail terminology}}
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| Multiple definitions for high-speed rail are in use worldwide.
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| * The [[Directive (European Union)|European Union Directive]] [[Trans-European high-speed rail network|96/48/EC, Annex 1]] defines high-speed rail as a set of three elements with precise criteria:
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| :# '''Infrastructure:''' track built specially for high-speed travel or specially upgraded for high-speed travel.
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| :# '''Maximum Speed Limit:''' Minimum speed of {{convert|250|km/h|0|abbr=on}} on lines specially built for high speed ''and'' {{convert|200|km/h|0|abbr=on}} on existing lines which have been specially upgraded. This must apply to at least one section of the line. Rolling stock must have a maximum speed of at least 200 km/h to be considered high speed.
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| :# '''Operating conditions:''' Rolling stock must be designed alongside its infrastructure for complete compatibility, safety and quality of service.<ref name="GeneralDefinition-EU">{{cite web |publisher=[[International Union of Railways]] |url=http://www.uic.org/spip.php?article971 |title=General definitions of highspeed |accessdate=13 May 2009}}</ref>
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| * The [[International Union of Railways]] (UIC) prefers to use "definitions" (plural) because they consider that there is no single standard definition of high-speed rail, nor even standard usage of the terms ("high speed", or "very high speed"). They make use of the European EC Directive 96/48, stating that high speed is a combination of all the elements which constitute the system: infrastructure, rolling stock and operating conditions.<ref name="GeneralDefinition-EU"/>
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| * Some nations{{which|date=August 2013}} have domestic standards which may vary from the international ones.
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| The [[International Union of Railways]] states that high-speed rail is a set of unique features, not merely a train travelling above a particular speed. Many conventionally hauled trains are able to reach {{convert|200|km/h|0|abbr=on}} in commercial service but are not considered to be high-speed trains. These include the French [[SNCF]] [[Intercités]] and German [[Deutsche Bahn|DB]] [[Intercity (Deutsche Bahn)|IC]].
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| ==History==
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| Railways were the first form of rapid land transportation and had an effective monopoly on passenger traffic until the development of the [[automobile|motor car]] and [[airliners]] in the early-mid 20th century. Speed had always been an important factor for railroads and they constantly tried to achieve higher speeds and decrease journey times. Rail transportation in the late 19th Century was not much slower than non high-speed trains today and many railroads regularly operated relatively fast ''express'' trains which averaged speeds of around {{convert|100|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}.<ref>[[Official Guide of the Railways]], 1910: The Official Guide of the Railways and Steam Navigation Lines of the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, and Cuba, Rand McNally & Company Publishing, 1910, http://cprr.org/Museum/Books/I_ACCEPT_the_User_Agreement/Official_Rail_Guide_1910.pdf</ref>
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| ===Early research===
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| [[File:STES-AEG Versuchstriebwagen.jpg|thumb|The German 1903 record holder]]
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| [[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-14151, "Fliegender Hamburger", DRG 778.jpg|thumb|The German Fliegender Hamburger]]
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| [[File:Twin Cities Zephyr Oregon Illinois early 1940s.jpg|right|thumb|Burlington ''[[Pioneer Zephyr|Zephyr]]'' passenger train]]
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| [[File:Rimessa ferroviaria pistoia 61.jpg|thumb|The Italian [[FS Class ETR 200|ETR 200]].]]
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| <!-- LACK OF SPACE... [[File:Talgo III irun 3.jpg|thumb|The Talgo III in 1964]] -->
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| ====First experiments====
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| High-speed rail development began in Germany in 1899 when the [[Prussian state railways|Prussian state railway]] joined with ten electrical and engineering firms and electrified {{convert|72|km|mi}} of military owned railway between [[Marienfelde]] and [[Zossen]]. The line used [[Three-phase electric power|three-phase current]] at [[Volt|10 kilovolts]] and [[Hertz|45 Hz]].
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| The Van der Zypen & Charlier company of [[Deutz, Cologne]] built two railcars, one fitted with electrical equipment from [[Siemens & Halske|Siemens-Halske]], the second with equipment from ''[[AEG|Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft]]'' (AEG), that were tested on the [[Marienfelde]]–[[Zossen]] line during 1902 and 1903.
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| On 23 October 1903, the S&H-equipped railcar achieved a speed of {{convert|206.7|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} and on 27 October the AEG-equipped railcar achieved {{convert|210.2|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}.<ref name="wrf_sith">Sith Sastrasinh, "[http://www.worldrailfans.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2448&start=0#p19081 Electrical Train Marienfelde–Zossen in 1901]", 21 January 2000, WorldRailFans. Accessed 23 January 2013.</ref>
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| These trains demonstrated the feasibility of electric high-speed rail however regularly scheduled electric high-speed rail travel was still more than 30 years away.
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| ====Early German high-speed network====
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| On May 15, 1933, the [[Deutsche Reichsbahn|Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft]] company introduced the diesel-powered "[[Fliegender Hamburger]]" in regular service between [[Berlin–Hamburg Railway|Hamburg and Berlin]] (286 km), thereby establishing the fastest regular service in the world, with a regular top speed of {{convert|160|km/h|0|abbr=on}}. <br>
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| This train was a streamlined multi-powered unit, albeit diesel, and used [[Jakobs bogie]]s some 47 years before the advent of the TGV.
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| Following the success of the Hamburg line, the steam-powered [[Henschel-Wegmann Train]] was developed and introduced in June 1936 for service from [[Berlin]] to [[Dresden]], with a regular top speed of {{Convert|160|km/h|mph|disp=5|abbr=on}}.<br>
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| Further development allowed the usage of these "Fliegenden Züge" (flying trains) on a rail network across Germany.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Vorkriegseinsatz1.jpg |title=Datei:Vorkriegseinsatz1.jpg – Wikipedia |language={{de icon}} |publisher=De.wikipedia.org |date= |accessdate=2013-03-26}}</ref>
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| The "Diesel-Schnelltriebwagen-Netz" had been in the planning since 1934 but it never reached its envisaged size.
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| And in August 1939, shortly before the breakout of the war, all high speed service stopped.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.de/books?id=YPmMUHzFVqwC&lpg=PA218&ots=N5uWzmhZMd&dq=%22diesel-schnelltriebwagen-netz%22&hl=de&pg=PA219#v=onepage&q=%22diesel-schnelltriebwagen-netz%22&f=false |title=Geschichte und Zukunft des Verkehrs.: Verkehrskonzepte von der Frόhen ... - Google Books |publisher=Books.google.de |date= |accessdate=2013-03-26}}</ref>
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| ==== The American Streamliners ====
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| On 26 May 1934, one year after Fliegender Hamburger introduction, the [[Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad|Burlington Railroad's]] set an average speed record on long distance with their new streamlined train, the [[Pioneer Zephyr|Zephyr]], at {{convert|124|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} with peaks at {{convert|185|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}.
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| The Zephyr was made of stainless steel, and like the Fliegender Hamburger, was diesel powered, articulated with [[Jacobs bogie]]s, and could reach {{convert|160|km/h|0|abbr=on}} as commercial speed.
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| The new service was inaugurated at the end of year, 11 November 1934, between [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] and [[Lincoln, Nebraska|Lincoln]], but at lower speed than the record, with an average speed of {{convert|74|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}.<ref name="meanspeed1">[http://www.streamlinerschedules.com/concourse/track4/pioneerzeph193809.html Pioneer Zephyrs, Official Guide, September 1938]</ref>
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| In 1935, [[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad|Milwaukee Road]] company introduced the [[Hiawatha (passenger train)|Morning Hiawatha]] service, hauled at {{convert|160|km/h|0|abbr=on}} by steam locomotives : these are the last "high-speed" trains to use the steam power.
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| In 1936, the [[Twin Cities Zephyr]] entered service, from Chicago to Minneapolis, with an average speed of {{convert|101|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}.<ref name="meanspeed2">[http://www.streamlinerschedules.com/concourse/track4/twinzephyrs193809.html Twin Zephyrs, Official Guide, September 1938]</ref>
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| ==== The Italian electric and the last steam record ====
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| The German high speed service was followed in Italy in 1938 with an electric-multiple-unit [[ETR 200]], designed for {{convert|200|km/h|0|abbr=on}}, between Bologna and Naples. It too reached {{convert|160|km/h|0|abbr=on}} in commercial service, and achieved a world mean speed record of {{Convert|203|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} near Milan in 1938.
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| In Great Britain in the same year, the streamlined [[steam locomotive]] ''[[LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard|Mallard]]'' achieved the official [[Land speed record for railed vehicles|world speed record]] for [[steam locomotive]]s at {{convert|125.88|mph|abbr=on}}. <br>
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| The external combustion engines and boilers on steam locomotives were large, heavy and time consuming to maintain, and the days of steam for high speed were numbered.
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| ==== The birth of Talgo system ====
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| In 1945 a Spanish engineer, Alejandro Goicoechea, developed a streamlined articulated train able to run on existing tracks at higher speeds than contemporary passenger trains. This was achieved by providing the locomotive and cars with a unique [[axle]] system that used one axle set per car end, connected by a Y-bar coupler. Amongst other advantages, the centre of mass was only half as high as usual.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=AyEDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA70&dq=popular+science+1930&hl=en&ei=4dTRTu6lLsvUgAed8uifDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEIQ6AEwBDhG#v=onepage&q&f=true "Low Slung Train Travels Fast"] ''Popular Science'', February 1945, p. 70</ref> This system became famous under the name of [[Talgo]] (Tren Articulado Ligero Goicoechea Oriol), and for half a century was the main Spanish provider of high-speed trains.
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| ==== The first very-high-speed records ====
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| [[File:SNCF CC 7102 Pk42 Le Mee sur Seine.jpg|thumb|The French CC 7100, 1955 record holder]]
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| In the early 1950s, the French National Railway started to receive their new powerful [[SNCF Class CC 7100|CC 7100]] electric locomotives, and began to study and evaluate running at very high speeds. In 1954, the CC 7121 hauling a full train achieved a record {{convert|243|km/h|0|abbr=on}} during a test on standard track.<br>
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| The next year, two specially tuned electric locomotives, the CC 7107 and the prototype BB 9001, broke previous speed records, reaching respectively {{convert|320|km/h|0|abbr=on}} and {{convert|331|km/h|0|abbr=on}}, again on standard track.<ref name="douviensTGV">[http://archivchemindefer.free.fr/dossierTGV/DouviensTGV.pdf D'où viens tu TGV? (in French), by Jean François Picard and Alain Beltran]</ref><br>
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| For the first time, the {{convert|300|km/h|0|abbr=on}} was surpassed, allowing the idea of feasibility of very high-speed services.
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| New engineering studies began for this purpose.
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| Especially, during the 1955 records, very dangerous [[hunting oscillation]], the swaying of the [[bogie]]s which at high speed leads to dynamic instability and potential derailment, were discovered, and led to the use of ''[[Yaw damper (railroad)|yaw damper]]s'' to solve this problem, enabling safe running speeds above {{convert|300|km/h|0|abbr=on}} today.
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| Important research was also made about "current harnessing" at high-speed by the pantographs, that was solved 20 years later by the Zébulon TGV's prototype.
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| === Breakthrough: The Shinkansen ===
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| [[File:Model 3000 SE of Odakyu Electric Railway.JPG|thumb|The [[Odakyū 3000 series SE]]]]
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| [[File:0 series Yurakucho 19670505.jpg|thumb|The original 0 series Shinkansen train]]
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| ==== Japanese research and development ====
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| With some 45 million people living in the densely populated [[Tokyo]]-to-[[Osaka]] corridor, congestion on road and rail became a serious problem after [[World War II]],<ref name="Hood">{{Cite book
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| | last = Hood
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| | first = Christopher P.
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| | title = Shinkansen – From Bullet Train to Symbol of Modern Japan
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| | publisher=Routledge, London
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| | url =
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| | year = 2007
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| | isbn = 978-0-415-32052-8
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| | pages = 18–43
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| }}</ref> and the Japanese government began thinking seriously about a new high speed rail service.<br>
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| Japan in the 1950s was a populous, resource-limited nation that for security reasons did not want to import [[petroleum]], but needed a way to transport its millions of people in and between cities.
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| [[Japanese National Railways]] (JNR) engineers then began to study the development of a high-speed regular mass transit service. In 1955, they were present at the [[Lille]]'s Electrotechnology Congress in France, and during a 6-month visit, the head engineer of JNR accompanied the deputy director Marcel Tessier at the DETE ([[SNCF]] Electric traction study department).<ref name="douviensTGV"/> JNR engineers returned to Japan with a number of ideas and technologies they would use on their future trains, including alternating current for rail traction, and international standard gauge.
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| ==== The first narrow-gauge Japanese high-speed service ====
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| In 1957, the engineers at the private [[Odakyu Electric Railway]] in [[Greater Tokyo area]] launched the [[Odakyu 3000 series SE]] EMU. This EMU set a world record for [[narrow gauge]] trains at {{convert|145|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}, giving the Odakyu engineers confidence they could safely and reliably build even faster trains at standard gauge.<ref name="Hood"/> The original Japanese railways generally used narrow gauge, but the increased stability offered by widening the rails to [[standard gauge]] would make very high-speed rail much simpler, and thus [[standard gauge]] was adopted for high-speed service.
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| ==== A new train on a new line ====
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| The new service, named [[Shinkansen]] (meaning ''new trunk line'') would run on new, 25% wider standard gauge, continuously welded rails between Tokyo and Osaka using new rolling stock, designed for {{convert|250|km/h|0|abbr=on}}. However, the [[World Bank]], whilst supporting the project, considered the design of the equipment as unproven for that speed, and set the maximum speed to {{convert|210|km/h|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="douviensTGV"/>
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| After initial feasibility tests, the plan was fast-tracked and construction of the first section of the line started on 20 April 1959.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/cnt/p19871.html |title=Kanagawa Prefecture:県央・湘南の環境と共生する都市づくりＮＥＷＳ NO.11」新幹線豆知識クイズの解説 |publisher=Pref.kanagawa.jp |accessdate=17 October 2011}}</ref> In 1963, on the new track, tests runs hit a top speed of {{convert|256|km/h|0|abbr=on}}. Five years after the beginning of the construction work, in October 1964, just in time for the [[Olympic Games]], the first modern high speed rail, the [[Tōkaidō Shinkansen]], was opened between the two cities.
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| The first Shinkansen trains, the [[0 Series Shinkansen]], built by [[Kawasaki Heavy Industries]]—in English often called "Bullet Trains", after the original Japanese name ''Dangan Ressha'' (弾丸列車)—outclassed the earlier fast trains in commercial service. They ran the {{convert|515|km|0|abbr=on}} distance in 3 hours 10 minutes, reaching a top speed of {{convert|210|km/h|0|abbr=on}} and sustaining an average speed of {{convert|162.8|km/h|abbr=on}} with stops at Nagoya and Kyoto.
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| ==== A great success ====
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| But the speed was only a part of the Shinkansen revolution: the Shinkansen offered high-speed rail travel to the masses. The first ''Bullet trains'' had 12 cars and later versions had up to 16,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.jr-central.co.jp/about/outline.html|title=Outline History and Overview of the Tokaido Shinkansen|publisher=Central Japan Railway Company|date=March 2010|accessdate=2 May 2011}}</ref> and double-deck trains further increased the capacity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/routemaps/tohokushinkansen.html|title=Tohoku Shinkansen|publisher=East Japan Railway Company|date=March 2011|accessdate=2 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jreast.co.jp/investor/factsheet/pdf/factsheet.pdf|title=2010 FACT SHEETS|publisher=JR East|date=30 July 2010|accessdate=2 May 2011}}</ref>
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| After three years, more than 100 million passengers had used the trains, and the milestone of the first one billion passengers was reached in 1976. In 1972 the line was extended a further {{convert|161|km|0|abbr=on}}, and further construction has resulted in the network expanding to {{convert|2387|km|0|abbr=on}} as at March 2013, with a further {{convert|776|km|0|abbr=on}} of extensions currently under construction and due to open in stages between March 2015 and 2035. The cumulative patronage on the entire system since 1964 is over 10 Billion, the equivalent of ~150% of the world's population, without a single fatality.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hood|first1=Christopher P|title=Shinkansen: From bullet train to symbol of modern Japan|isbn=0415444098|year=2006|page=214}}</ref>
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| === Revival in Europe and North America ===
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| [[File:103 224+TEE DDM.jpg|thumb|The German [[DB Class 103]]]]
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| [[File:CapitoleAusterlitz1.jpg|thumb|"Le Capitole" train, in [[Gare d'Austerlitz|Paris Austerlitz]]]]
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| [[File:metroliner1968.jpg|thumb|[[metroliner (train)|Metroliner]] trains were developed in the U.S. for rapid service between New York and Washington, DC.]]
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| [[File:British Rail Class 43 at Chesterfield.jpg|thumb|The British InterCity 125]]
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| ==== A first demonstration at 200 km/h ====
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| In Europe, high-speed rail began during the International Transport Fair in [[Munich]] in June 1965, when Dr Öpfering, the director of [[Deutsche Bundesbahn]] (German Federal Railways), performed 347 demonstrations at {{convert|200|km/h|0|abbr=on|disp=5}} between Munich and [[Augsburg]] by [[DB Class 103]] hauled trains.
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| The same year, in France, the engineer [[Jean Bertin]] created the [[Aérotrain]], a hovercraft monorail train, and built the first prototype, supported by the French Land Settlement Commission (DATAR). The prototype reached {{convert|200|km/h|0|abbr=on}} within days of opening.
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| ==== First at 200 km/h: ''Le Capitole'' ====
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| After the success of the Japanese Shinkansen in 1964, at {{convert|210|km/h|0|abbr=on}}, the German demonstrations up to {{convert|200|km/h|0|abbr=on}} in 1965, and the proof-of-concept jet-powered [[Aérotrain]], [[SNCF]] still ran its fastest trains at only {{convert|160|km/h|0|abbr=on}}.
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| In 1966, the new French Infrastructure Minister, Edgard Pisani, consulted engineers, and gave the French National Railways one year to raise speeds to {{convert|200|km/h|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="douviensTGV"/> The classic line [[Paris]]–[[Toulouse]] was chosen, and fitted, to support {{convert|200|km/h|0|abbr=on}} rather than {{convert|140|km/h|0|abbr=on}}. Some improvements were set, notably the signals system, development of on board "in-cab" signalling system, and curve revision.
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| The next year, in May 1967, the first regular service in the world at {{convert|200|km/h|0|abbr=on}} by a classic train was inaugurated by the [[Trans Europ Express|TEE]] ''[[Le Capitole (train)|Le Capitole]]'' between [[Paris]] and [[Toulouse]], with specially adapted [[SNCF Class BB 9200]] locomotives hauling classic UIC cars, and a full red livery.
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| At the same time, the [[Aérotrain]] prototype 02 reached {{convert|345|km/h|0|abbr=on}} on a half-scale experimental track. In 1969, it achieved {{convert|422|km/h|0|abbr=on}} on the same track. On 5 March 1974, the full-scale commercial prototype Aérotrain I80HV, jet powered, reached {{convert|430|km/h|0|abbr=on}}.
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| ==== American Metroliner trains achieve 200km/h ====
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| In the United States, immediately following the creation of Japan's first high-speed [[Shinkansen]], U.S. President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] as part of his [[Great Society]] infrastructure building initiatives asked the [[U.S. Congress]] to devise a way to increase speeds on American railroads.<ref>Remarks at the Signing of the High-Speed Ground Transportation Act. September 30, 1965, http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=27281</ref> The congress delivered the [[High Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965]] which passed with overwhelming [[bi-partisan]] support and helped to create regular [[Metroliner (train)|Metroliner]] service between [[New York City]] and [[Washington, D.C.]]. The new service was inaugurated in 1969, at speeds reaching {{Convert|200|km/h|mph|disp=5|abbr=on}} and averaging {{Convert|145|km/h|mph|disp=5|abbr=on}} along the route, faster than even [[Acela Express]] trains operated between the cities of New York and Washington in 2012.<ref>The Metroliner was able to travel from New York to Washington in just 2.5 hours because it did not make any intermediate stops, Metroliner Timetable, Penn Central, October 26, 1969, http://www.streamlinerschedules.com/concourse/track3/metroliner197002.html</ref>
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| ==== The HST: a diesel high-speed train at 200 km/h ====
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| Great Britain followed Japan, France and U.S. in 1976 with the introduction by [[British Rail]] of a new high-speed service, able to reach {{convert|200|km/h|0|abbr=on|disp=5}}, hauled by the "[[InterCity 125]]" [[diesel-electric]] train sets, under the brand name of High Speed Train (HST). It was the fastest diesel-powered train in regular service in the world, and it outclassed its {{convert|100|mph|0|abbr=on|disp=5}} forerunners, in speed and acceleration.
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| Like the Shinkansen, and future TGV, the train was built as a reversible multi-car set, having driving power-cars at both ends, and a fixed formation of passenger cars between them. Journey times were reduced, sometimes by an hour on the [[East Coast Main Line]], and passenger numbers soared.
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| ==== Europe at 200 km/h ====
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| [[File:444072-xx0595bari copia.jpg|thumb|The Italian [[FS Class E444|FS E444]].]]
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| The next year, in 1977, Germany finally introduced a new service at {{convert|200|km/h|0|abbr=on|disp=5}}, on the Munich-Augsburg line. That same year, Italy inaugurated the first European High-Speed line, the ''[[Florence–Rome high-speed railway|Direttissima]]'' between Roma and Florence, designed for {{convert|250|km/h|0|abbr=on}}, but used by [[FS Class E444|FS E444]] hauled train at {{convert|200|km/h|0|abbr=on|disp=5}}.
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| This year also saw the abandonment for political reasons of the Aérotrain project, in favour of the TGV.
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| === The French TGV ===
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| [[File:TGV001.JPG|thumb|One power-car of the gas-turbine prototype "TGV 001"]]
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| [[File:Gueret2.JPG|thumb|The [[Turbotrain]], in 2004]]
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| <!--[[File:Zebulon.jpg|thumb|Electric prototype and test bed of TGV : Zébulon]]-->
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| [[File:Gare de Lyon TGV orange.jpg|thumb|The TGV Sud Est, in [[Gare de Lyon|Paris Lyon]], in 1982]]
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| [[File:TGV World Speed Record 574 km per hour.jpg|thumb|right|The TGV at {{convert|574|km/h|0|abbr=on}} in 2007]]
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| ==== Active research====
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| Following the [[SNCF Class CC 7100#Speed records|1955 records]], two divisions of the [[SNCF]] began to study high speed services. In 1964, the DETMT (petrol-engine traction studies department of SNCF) planned the use of [[gas turbine]]s : a diesel-powered railcar is modified with a gas-turbine, and is called "TGV" (Turbotrain Grande Vitesse).<ref name="douviensTGV"/>
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| It reached {{convert|230|km/h|0|abbr=on}} in 1967, and served as a basis for the future Turbotrain and the real TGV.
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| In the same time, the new "SNCF Research Department", created in 1966, was studying some projects, especially a project code-named "C03": "Railways possibilities on new infrastructure (tracks)".<ref name="douviensTGV"/>
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| ==== The gas-turbine ====
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| In 1969, the "C03 project" is transferred to the public administration while a contract with [[Alsthom]]<!--This is how the company's name was spelled at the time --> is ratified for the building of two gas-turbine high-speed train prototypes, that will be named "TGV 001".
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| The prototype consisted of an undividable set of 5 cars and 2 power-cars at both end, each power-car powered by two gas-turbine engine. The notable particularity of the set is the use of [[Jakobs bogie]]s, shared by two cars, that reduce drag and increase safety.
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| The next year, in 1970, the DETMT's [[Turbotrain]], gas-turbine powered multiple-elements, designed for {{convert|200|km/h|0|abbr=on}} but used at {{convert|160|km/h|0|abbr=on}} began operations on [[Ligne Paris-Caen|Paris-Cherbourg line]]. It allowed to experiment future TGV services, especially regular high rate schedules, shuttle services, etc.<ref name="douviensTGV"/>
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| ==== The C03 Project ====
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| In 1971, the "C03" project, now known as "TGV Sud-Est", is validated by the government, against the Bertin's Aerotrain.<ref name="douviensTGV"/>
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| Until this date, there was a rivalry between the French Land Settlement Commission (DATAR), supporting the Aérotrain, and the SNCF and its ministry, supporting the conventional rail.<br>
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| The "C03 project" projected the building a new High-Speed line between
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| [[Paris]] and [[Lyon]], with a new multi-powered-elements train running at {{convert|260|km/h|0|abbr=on}}.<br>
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| Indeed, at that time, the classic Paris-Lyon line is already heavily saturated, a new line is required, and this very loaded corridor, not too short (where car is preferred) nor too long (where planes are better), is the best choice for the new service.
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| | |
| ==== Turnaround: electricity ====
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| The 1973 oil shock substantially increases oil prices.
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| In the continuity of the [[Charles de Gaulle|De Gaulle]] "energy self-sufficiency" and Nuclear-energy policy, a ministry decision switched the future TGV from now costly gas-turbine to full electric energy in 1974.
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| Because of this new orientation, an electric railcar is heavily tuned for testings at very high speeds. Named [[commons:Zebulon.jpg|Zébulon]], it reached {{convert|306|km/h|0|abbr=on}}, and, among other, allowed the creation of pantographs sustaining over {{convert|300|km/h|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="douviensTGV"/>
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| ==== The TGV: the first service above 250 km/h ====
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| After intensive tests with the gas-turbine "TGV 001" prototype, and the electric "Zébulon", in 1977, the SNCF placed an order to the group [[Alsthom]]-[[Francorail]]-[[MTE]] for 87 [[SNCF TGV Sud-Est|TGV Sud-Est]] trainsets.<ref name="douviensTGV"/>
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| They reuse the "TGV 001" concept, with an undividable set of eight cars, sharing "[[Jakobs bogie]]s", and hauled by two electric power-cars, one at each end.
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| In 1981, the first section of the new [[LGV Sud-Est|Paris-Lyon High-Speed line]] was inaugurated, with a {{convert|260|km/h|0|abbr=on}} top speed (then {{convert|270|km/h|0|abbr=on}} soon after).
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| With a far greater top speed, a new dedicated high-speed line, and a complete compatibility with existing old lines, the TGV offers the ability to join every city in the country, using alternatively standard and high-speed line, in a shorter time than ever.<ref name="douviensTGV"/>
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| After the introduction of the TGV on some routes, air traffic on these routes decreased, or even disappeared.<ref name="douviensTGV"/>
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| At the same time, the TGV made history with its multiple, highly publicized [[TGV world speed record|speed records]]: in 1981 with a record at {{convert|380|km/h|0|abbr=on}}, in 1990 at {{convert|515|km/h|0|abbr=on}}, and then in 2007 at {{convert|574|km/h|0|abbr=on}}.
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| === Evolution in Europe ===
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| [[File:ICE 1 in Augsburg-Hochzoll.jpg|thumb|The German ICE 1]]
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| [[File:Ave.jpg|thumb|The Spanish AVE [[AVE Class 102|AVE Class 102 "Pato" (duck)]]]]
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| [[File:Acela 2000.jpg|thumb|The Acela Express]]
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| {{main|High-speed rail in Europe}}
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| Following the French TGV, in 1991 Germany was the second country in Europe to inaugurate a high-speed rail service, with the launch of the [[Intercity-Express]] (ICE) on the new [[Hanover–Würzburg high-speed railway|Hannover-Würzburg high speed railway]], operating at a top speed of {{convert|280|km/h|0|abbr=on}}. The German ICE train was a set like the TGV, with dedicated streamlined motor cars at both ends, and a variable number of trailers between them. Unlike the TGV, the trailers had classical two bogies per car, and could be de-coupled, allowing the train to be lengthened or shortened. This introduction was the result of ten years of study with the ICE-V prototype, which broke the world speed record in 1988, reaching {{convert|406|km/h|0|abbr=on}}.
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| In 1992, just in time for the [[1992 Summer Olympics|Barcelona Olympic Game]] and [[Seville Expo '92]] the [[Madrid–Seville high-speed rail line]] opened in Spain with [[25 kV AC]] electrification, and [[standard gauge]], opposed to all other Spanish tracks which used [[Iberian gauge]] tracks. This allowed the [[AVE]] rail service to begin operations using [[AVE Class 100|Class 100]] train sets built by Alstom, directly derived in design from the French TGV trains. The service was very popular and development continued on [[high-speed rail in Spain]].
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| In 2005, the Spanish Government announced an ambitious plan, (PEIT 2005–2020)<ref>[http://www.fomento.es/MFOM/LANG_EN/_ESPECIALES/PEIT/default.htm ]{{dead link|date=March 2013}}</ref> envisioning that by 2020, 90 percent of the population would live within {{convert|50|km|abbr=on|disp=5}} of a station served by [[AVE]]. Spain began building the largest HSR network in Europe: as of 2011 five of the new lines have opened (Madrid-Zaragoza-Lleida-Tarragona-Barcelona, Córdoba- Malaga, Madrid-Toledo, Madrid-Segovia-Valladolid, Madrid-Cuenca-Valencia) and another {{convert|2219|km|0|abbr=on|disp=5}} were under construction.<ref>[http://www.uic.org/IMG/pdf/20100521_a1_high_speed_lines_in_the_world.pdf ]{{dead link|date=October 2011}}</ref> As of December 2010, the Spanish [[Alta Velocidad Española|AVE]] system is the longest{{Vague|how long is that?|date=September 2013}} HSR network in Europe and the second in the world, after China.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2010/12/17/valencia/1292606431.html |title=El AVE ya 'vuela' hasta Valencia | Valencia |publisher=elmundo.es |accessdate=17 October 2011}}</ref> Several of those lines, however, have met very limited commercial success.
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| === Evolution in North America ===
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| {{main|High-speed rail in the United States}}
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| In 1992, the [[United States Congress]] authorized the Amtrak Authorization and Development Act to focus on [[Amtrak]]'s service improvement on the segment between [[Boston]] and [[New York City]] of the [[Northeast Corridor]]. The primary objectives were to electrify the line north of [[New Haven, Connecticut]] and replace the then 30-year-old Metroliners with new trains to achieve shorter travel time.
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| Amtrak started testing two trains, the Swedish [[SJ 2000|X2000]] and the German [[ICE train|ICE 1]], in the same year along its fully electrified segment between New York City and [[Washington DC]]. The officials favored the X2000 as it had a tilting mechanism. However, the Swedish manufacturer never bid on the contract as the burdensome United States railroad regulations required them to heavily modify the train resulting in added weight among other things. Eventually, a custom-made [[tilting train]] derived from TGV, manufactured by [[Alstom]] and [[Bombardier Transportation|Bombardier]], won the contract and was put into service in December 2000.
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| The new service was named "[[Acela Express]]" and linked Boston, New York City, [[Philadelphia]], [[Baltimore]] and Washington DC. The service does not meet the 3-hour travel time objective, between Boston and New York City. The time is 3 hours and 24 minutes as it partially runs on regular lines which limit its average speed, with a maximum speed of {{convert|241|km/h|0|abbr=on}} being reached on a small section of its route through Rhode Island and Massachusetts.<ref name=gao2004>{{cite web|title=Amtrak’s Management of Northeast Corridor Improvements Demonstrates Need for Applying Best Practices (GAO-04-94)|url=http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0494.pdf|work=Report to the Chairman, Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, U.S. Senate|publisher=United States General Accounting Office|accessdate=26 August 2013|date=February 2004}}</ref><ref name=nytimes2005>{{cite news|last=Dao|first=James|title=Acela, Built to Be Rail's Savior, Bedevils Amtrak at Every Turn|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/24/national/24acela.html|accessdate=26 August 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=24 April 2005}}</ref>
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| === Expansion in East Asia ===
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| For four decades from its opening in 1964, the Japanese [[Shinkansen]] was the only high speed rail service outside of Europe. In the 2000s a number of new high speed rail services started operating in East Asia.
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| ==== The South Korean KTX ====
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| [[File:Korail ktx sancheon 17.jpg|thumb|The Korean developed [[KTX Sancheon]].]]
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| In [[South Korea]], [[Korea Train Express|Korea Train Express (KTX)]] services were launched on 1 April 2004, on the Seoul-Busan corridor, Korea's busiest traffic corridor, between the two largest cities. In 1982, it represented 65.8% of South Korea's population, a number that grew to 73.3% by 1995, along with 70% of freight traffic and 66% of passenger traffic. With both the [[Gyeongbu Expressway]] and [[Korail]]'s [[Gyeongbu Line]] congested as of the late 1970s, the government saw the pressing need for another form of transportation.{{sfn|Cho|Chung|2008|p=11}}
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| Construction began on the high-speed line from [[Seoul]] to [[Busan]] in 1992 with the first commercial service launching in 2004. Top speed for trains in regular service is currently {{Convert|305|km/h|mph|abbr=on|0}}, though the infrastructure is designed for {{Convert|350|km/h|mph|sigfig=3|abbr=on}}. The initial rolling stock was based on [[Alstom]]'s [[SNCF TGV Réseau|TGV Réseau]], and was partly built in Korea. The domestically developed [[HSR-350x]], which achieved {{Convert|352.4|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} in tests, resulted in a second type of high-speed trains now operated by Korail, the [[KTX Sancheon]]. The next generation KTX train, [[HEMU-430X]], achieved {{convert|421.4|km/h|0|abbr=on}} in 2013, making South Korea the world's fourth country after [[France]], [[Japan]] and [[China]] to develop a [[high-speed train]] running on conventional rail above {{convert|420|km/h|0|abbr=on}}.
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| ==== The Chinese CRH ====
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| [[File:China Star.jpg|thumb|The first Chinese HST]]
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| [[File:CRH3 in Changsha.JPG|thumb|The Chinese CRH3]]
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| State planning for [[China's|China]] high speed railway began in the early 1990s, and the country started construction of its first high speed rail line, the [[Qinhuangdao–Shenyang Passenger Railway]], in 1999, which subsequently opened in 2003 with a design speed of {{convert|200|km/h|0|abbr=on}}.
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| The original goal of the Chinese Ministry of Railways (MOR) was to research and develop domestic technology to reach a world standard. The new high speed rail line was used to test several Chinese developed prototypes. Although they were successful at creating a train set that operated at {{convert|300|km/h|0|abbr=on}}, the trains performed poorly in regular service. Realizing that domestic high speed technology was not sufficiently developed, the MOR purchased high speed trains from French, German, and Japanese manufactures with technology transfers contracts to improve its ability to build high speed trains. In 2007 the first high speed service using foreign high speed trains, called [[China Railway High-speed|China Railways Highspeed (CRH)]] or "和谐号" (lit. Harmony) was introduced.
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| In 2008, the China opened the "Wuhan – Guangzhou" high-speed line at {{convert|350|km/h|0|abbr=on}}, the first line at that speed. Until July 2011, when the maximum speed was lowered to {{convert|300|km/h|0|abbr=on}}, it was the fastest line in the world.
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| {{As of|2011}}, China has the world's longest high-speed rail network with {{convert|8358|km|0|abbr=on}} of tracks. The network is still rapidly expanding to create the [[High-speed rail in China#National high-speed rail grid (4+4)|4+4 National High Speed Rail Grid]] by 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-11/27/c_132002966.htm|title= China's operating high-speed railway exceeds 7,000 km|date=2012-11-27|accessdate= 2012-11-27|work= xinhuanet.com}}</ref> On 25 December 2012, China opened the world's longest high-speed rail line, which runs {{convert|2208|km|abbr=on}} from the country's capital [[Beijing West Railway Station|Beijing]] in the north to [[Shenzhen North Railway Station|Shenzhen]] on the southern coast.<ref>{{cite news|title=WORLD'S LONGEST FAST TRAIN LINE OPENS IN CHINA|url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/worlds-longest-fast-train-line-opens-china|work=Associated Press|accessdate=26 December 2012}}</ref>
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| | |
| On 26 December 2012, the world's longest high-speed line opened in China; the [[Beijing–Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong High-Speed Railway]] at {{convert|2298|km|mi}}.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/passenger/single-view/view/beijing-guangzhou-high-speed-line-completed.html|accessdate=31 December 2012|title=Beijing - Guangzhou high speed line completed|work=[[Railway Gazette International]]}}</ref><ref name="longuestChina">{{cite news|title=WORLD'S LONGEST FAST TRAIN LINE OPENS IN CHINA|url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/worlds-longest-fast-train-line-opens-china|work=Associated Press|accessdate=31 December 2012}}</ref>
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| | |
| ==== Taiwan (THSR) ====
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| [[File:THSR 700T Front view.jpg|thumb|The Taiwanese HSR, derived from Shinkansen]]
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| [[Taiwan High Speed Rail]]'s first and only HSR line opened for service on 5 January 2007, using Japanese trains with a top speed of {{convert|300|km/h|abbr=on|sigfig=3}}. The service runs {{convert|345|km}} from [[Taipei Railway Station]] to [[Xinzuoying Station]] in as little as 96 minutes. Once THSR began operations, almost all passengers switched from airlines flying parallel routes<ref name="railvsair_TJ">{{cite news |last=Chen |first=Melody |date=4 September 2008 |title=Romance of rail jeopardizes domestic air routes |journal=[[Taiwan Journal]] |url=http://taiwanjournal.nat.gov.tw/site/tj/ct.asp?CtNode=122&xItem=45023 |accessdate=11 October 2010}}</ref> while road traffic was also reduced.<ref name="KaWh_07">{{cite news |date=26 September 2007 |title=Taiwan's High-speed Rail: It's Been a Rapid Learning Curve |work=China Knowledge@Wharton |publisher=[[Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania]] |url=http://www.knowledgeatwharton.com.cn/index.cfm?fa=viewfeature&articleid=1718&languageid=1 |accessdate=11 October 2010}}</ref>
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| | |
| == Network ==
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| | |
| {{Main|High-speed rail by country}}
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| {{See also|Planned high-speed rail by country}}
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| | |
| === Maps ===
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| | |
| {{Multiple image
| |
| <!-- Essential parameters -->
| |
| | direction = horizontal
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| | align = center
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| <!-- Image 1 -->
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| | image1 = High Speed Railroad Map of Europe 2013.svg
| |
| | caption1 = Operational high-speed lines in Europe
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| | width1 = 400
| |
| <!-- Image 2 -->
| |
| | image2 = Eastern Asia HSR2013.svg
| |
| | caption2 = Operational high-speed lines in East Asia
| |
| | width2 = 400
| |
| <!-- Extra parameters -->
| |
| | footer = {{Legend inline|#ae00ff|{{convert|310|-|320|km/h|0|abbr=on}}|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}} {{Legend inline|#ff0000|{{convert|270|-|300|km/h|0|abbr=on}}|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}} {{Legend inline|#fa9900|{{convert|250|km/h|0|abbr=on}}|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}} <br> {{Legend inline|#ffff00|{{convert|200|-|230|km/h|0|abbr=on}}|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}} {{Legend inline|#00aa00|Under construction|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}} {{Legend inline|#808080|Other railways|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}
| |
| | footer_background =
| |
| | background color =
| |
| | footer_align =
| |
| | width =
| |
| }}
| |
| | |
| === Technologies ===
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| | |
| ==== Dedicated tracks ====
| |
| {{Unreferenced section|date=July 2013}}
| |
| [[File:Viaduc de la Haute-Colme 01 09.jpg|thumb|High-speed line on a viaduct to avoid ramp and road-crossing]]
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| | |
| As defined by Europe and UIC, generally the high-speed rail is a set including a high-speed rolling-stock and a dedicated high-speed line.
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| | |
| Japan was the first nation to build a totally new and dedicated lines and network for its Shinkansen. It was followed by France, then Germany, Spain, etc. Most countries today with high-speed rail have dedicated high-speed tracks. Notable exceptions are the USA and Russia.
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| | |
| In certain cases, in particular in England in the 1970s for the HST, and in China recently, classic old lines have been upgraded to support new high-speed trains, often up to {{convert|200|km/h|0|abbr=on}}. For unconventional trains, such as Aérotrains and Maglev, the use of viaduct-dedicated tracks is necessary.
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| | |
| ==== Tracks design ====
| |
| {{Unreferenced section|date=July 2013}}
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| [[File:Steigung NIM.jpg|thumb|A German high-speed line, with tracks directly on concrete tiles.]]
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| | |
| [[Continuous welded rail]] is generally used to reduce track vibrations and misalignment. Almost all high-speed lines are electrically driven via overhead cables, have [[in-cab signalling]], and use advanced switches using very low entry and [[Railroad switch#Frog .28common crossing.29|frog]] angles.
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| Constrictions, such as at-grade crossings, where lines intersect other lines and/or roadways are eliminated. For this reason, Japan and China typically build their high-speed lines on elevated viaducts.
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| | |
| High-speed lines avoid tight curves, which reduce speed. Curve radius is typically above {{convert|4.5|km}}, and for lines supporting {{convert|350|km/h|0|abbr=on}} speeds, typically at {{convert|7|to|9|km|1}}.
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| | |
| The lines may rest on [[Track (rail transport)#Traditional track structure|traditional sleeper and ballast]] or on concrete tiles and fences prevent access to the tracks on foot.
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| | |
| ==== Road-rail parallel layout ====
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| [[File:NIM Baustelle2001 Leidorf Koeschinger Forst.jpg|thumb|A German high-speed line being built along a highway]]
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| | |
| Road Rail Parallel Layout uses land beside highways for railway lines. Examples include Paris/Lyon and [[Köln–Frankfurt high-speed rail line|Köln - Frankfurt]] in which 15% and 70% of the track runs beside highways, respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jhcrawford.com/energy/interstaterail.html |title=Interstate Rail Proposal |publisher=J.H. Crawford |accessdate=17 October 2011}}</ref>
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| | |
| ==== Track sharing ====
| |
| {{Unreferenced section|date=July 2013}}
| |
| | |
| High-speed lines may be exclusive or open to standard speed trains.
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| | |
| * In France, high-speed lines use standard gauge like the rest of the network, but are used only by passenger TGV, and by the Postal TGV.
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| * In Germany, high-speed lines are shared between ICE, international high speed trains, regional trains and freight trains.
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| * In China, high-speed lines at speeds between {{convert|200|and|250|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}} may carry freight or passengers., [[High-speed rail in China|Lines]] operating at speeds of {{convert|300|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}} are used only by passenger CRH trains.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/353fecc8-40e1-11df-94c2-00144feabdc0,dwp_uuid=9c33700c-4c86-11da-89df-0000779e2340.html|title=China on track to be world’s biggest network|author=Jamil Anderlini|work=Financial Times|date=5 April 2010|accessdate=12 April 2010}}</ref>
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| * In Japan and Spain, high-speed lines use standard gauge as opposed to the rest of their respective networks and are thus dedicated to high-speed trains.
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| | |
| Sharing a line between fast and slow traffic reduces its maximum carrying capacity by a very large factor, by forcing much longer intervals between trains at the two different speeds.
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| | |
| ==== Construction costs ====
| |
| {{Unreferenced section|date=July 2013}}
| |
| | |
| Japanese systems are often more expensive than their counterparts, because they run on dedicated elevated guideways, avoid traffic crossings and incorporate disaster monitoring systems. The largest part of Japan's cost is for boring tunnels through mountains, as was also true in [[Taiwan]].
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| | |
| In France, the cost of construction (which was €10 million/km (US$15.1 million/km) for [[LGV Est]]) is minimized by adopting steeper grades rather than building tunnels and viaducts.
| |
| However, in mountainous Switzerland, tunnels are inevitable. Because the lines are dedicated to passengers, gradients of 3.5%, rather than the previous maximum of 1–1.5% for mixed traffic, are used.
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| More expensive land may be required in order to minimize curves. This increases speed, reduces construction costs and lowers operating and maintenance costs. In other countries high-speed rail was built without those economies so that the railway can also support other traffic, such as freight.
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| | |
| Experience has shown however, that running trains of significantly different speeds on one line substantially decreases capacity. As a result, mixed-traffic lines usually reserve daytime for high-speed trains and run freight at night.
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| | |
| <!--
| |
| Common standards for conventional high-speed lines are:
| |
| {| class="wikitable"
| |
| ! Item
| |
| ! Standard
| |
| ! Exception
| |
| |-
| |
| | [[Coupling (railway)|Coupling]]
| |
| | Europe: [[Scharfenberg coupler]] Type 10
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| | [[Railway electrification systems|Electrification]] - voltage and [[utility frequency|frequency]]
| |
| | [[25 kV AC railway electrification|25 kV]] 50 Hz
| |
| | 15 kV AC, 16.7 Hz: Austria, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway.<br>25 kV AC 60 Hz: Japan (partially), Taiwan, South Korea, United States (partially).
| |
| |-
| |
| | Electrification
| |
| | Overhead lines
| |
| |
| |
| |-
| |
| | [[Railway platform height|Platform height]]
| |
| | in Europe most common {{convert|550|mm|0|abbr=on}}, Germany/Poland also {{convert|760|mm|0|abbr=on}}, Netherlands/Belgium/[[Great Britain|GB]] 760 mm
| |
| | Spain >1000 mm
| |
| |-
| |
| | [[Loading gauge]]
| |
| | UIC GC
| |
| | Russia and other
| |
| |-
| |
| | [[Railway signalling|Signalling]]
| |
| | [[European Train Control System|ETCS]], in Europe lines are gradually changed to allow for ETCS, in China new lines use ETCS
| |
| |
| |
| |}
| |
| -->
| |
| | |
| == Rolling stock ==
| |
| {{Expand section|date=July 2013}}
| |
| Key technologies include tilting trainsets, aerodynamic designs (to reduce drag, lift, and noise), [[Railway air brake|air brake]]s, [[regenerative braking]], engine technology and [[dynamic weight shifting]].
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| | |
| {{See also|List of high-speed trains}}
| |
| | |
| == Comparison with other modes of transport ==
| |
| | |
| === Optimal distance ===
| |
| While commercial high-speed trains have lower maximum speeds than jet aircraft, they offer shorter total trip times than air travel for short distances. They typically connect city centre rail stations to each other, while air transport connects airports that are typically farther from city centres.
| |
| | |
| High-speed rail (HSR) is best suited for journeys of 2 to 4½ hours (about {{convert|250|-|900|km|mi|disp=or|abbr=on}}), for which the train can beat air and car trip time.{{citation needed|date=February 2013}} For trips under about {{convert|650|km|mi|abbr=on}}, the process of checking in and going through airport security, as well as traveling to and from the airport, makes the total air journey time equal to or slower than HSR.{{citation needed|date=February 2013}} European authorities treat HSR as competitive with passenger air for HSR trips under 4½ hours.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://ec.europa.eu/transport/infrastructure/studies/doc/2010_high_speed_rail_en.pdf| title=European high-speed rail – An easy way to connect| publisher=Publications Office of the European Union| year=2010| location=Luxembourg| accessdate=18 April 2011}}</ref>
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| | |
| HSR eliminated most air transport from between Paris-Brussels, Cologne-Frankfurt, Nanjing-Wuhan, Chongqing-Chengdu,<ref name="cdaily2">{{cite web|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/imqq/bizchina/2011-04/02/content_12267556.htm |title=High-speed rail cuts into airlines' success |work=China Daily |date=2 April 2011 |accessdate=17 October 2011}}</ref> Tokyo-Nagoya, Tokyo-Sendai and Tokyo-Niigata.
| |
| China Southern Airlines, China's largest airline, expects the construction of China's high speed railway network to impact{{Clarify|date=February 2013}} 25% of its route network in the coming years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=a3GHSPLBfBOM |title=China Southern Says Railways to Hurt 25% of Routes (Update1) |publisher=Bloomberg |date=28 October 2009 |accessdate=17 October 2011}}</ref>
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| | |
| === Market shares ===
| |
| European data indicate that air traffic is more sensitive than road traffic (car and bus) to competition from HSR, at least on journeys of {{convert|400|km|0|abbr=on}} and more – perhaps because cars and buses are far more flexible than planes. TGV Sud-Est reduced the travel time Paris–Lyon from almost four to about two hours. Market share rose from 49 to 72%. Air and road market shares shrunk from 31 to 7% and from 29 to 21%, respectively. On the Madrid–Sevilla link, the AVE connection increased share from 16 to 52%; air traffic shrunk from 40 to 13%; road traffic from 44 to 36%, hence the rail market amounted to 80% of combined rail and air traffic.<ref>Peter Jorritsma: Substitution Opportunities of High Speed Train for Air Transport, http://www.aerlines.nl/issue_43/43_Jorritsma_AiRail_Substitution.pdf, p. 3</ref> This figure increased to 89% in 2009, according to Spanish rail operator [[RENFE]].<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/30/business/energy-environment/30trains.html Spain’s High-Speed Rail Offers Guideposts for U.S.], The New York Times, 29 May 2009.</ref>
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| According to Peter Jorritsma, the rail market share ''s'', as compared to planes, can be computed approximately as a function of the travelling time in minutes ''t'' by the formula<ref>Peter Jorritsma: Substitution Opportunities of High Speed Train for Air Transport, http://www.aerlines.nl/issue_43/43_Jorritsma_AiRail_Substitution.pdf, p. 4</ref>
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| :<math>s = {1 \over 0.031 \times 1.016^t + 1}</math>
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| According to this formula, a journey time of three hours yields 65% market share. However, market shares are also influenced by ticket prices. Some air carriers regained market shares by slashing prices.<ref>Peter Jorritsma: Substitution Opportunities of High Speed Train for Air Transport, http://www.aerlines.nl/issue_43/43_Jorritsma_AiRail_Substitution.pdf, p. 2</ref>
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| === Energy efficiency ===
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| Travel by rail is more competitive in areas of higher population density or where gasoline is expensive, because conventional trains are more fuel-efficient than cars when ridership is high, similar to other forms of mass transit. Very few high-speed trains consume [[diesel fuel|diesel]] or other [[fossil fuel]]s but the power stations that provide electric trains with power can consume fossil fuels. In Japan and France, with very extensive high speed rail networks, a large proportion of electricity comes from [[nuclear power]].<ref>''[[The Times]]'', Friday, 6 January 2006, p54. ''France will run trains free from fossil fuel, says Chirac''.</ref> On the Eurostar, which primarily runs off the French grid, emissions from travelling by train from London to Paris are 90% lower than by flying.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seat61.com/CO2flights.htm|title=Cut your CO2 emissions by taking the train, by up to 90%...|publisher=[[Seat61]]|accessdate=28 August 2010}}</ref> Even using electricity generated from coal or oil, high speed trains are significantly more fuel-efficient per passenger per kilometer traveled than the typical automobile because of [[economies of scale]] in generator technology.<ref>{{cite book|title=[[The Economical Environmentalist]]|author=Prashant Vaze|page=298|publisher=Earthscan}}</ref> Rail networks, like highways, require large fixed capital investments and thus require a blend of high density and government investment to be competitive against existing capital infrastructure.{{Citation needed|date=August 2010}}
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| === Automobile and buses ===
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| High-speed rail can accommodate more passengers at far higher speeds than automobiles.
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| Generally, the longer the journey, the better the time advantage of rail over road if going to the same destination. However, high-speed rail can be competitive with cars on shorter distances, {{convert|50|-|150|km|mi|-1}}, for example for commuting, given road congestion or expensive parking fees.
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| Moreover, typical passenger rail carries 2.83 times as many passengers per hour per meter (width) as a road. A typical capacity is the [[Eurostar#Rolling stock|Eurostar]], which runs 15 trains per hour{{dubious|more like 4: one every half an hour each way|date=October 2012}} and 800 passengers per train, totaling 12,000 passengers per hour in each direction. By contrast, the [[Highway Capacity Manual]] gives a maximum capacity of 2,250 passenger cars per hour per lane, excluding other vehicles. Assuming an average vehicle occupancy of 1.57 people.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/facts/2003/fcvt_fotw257.html |publisher=US Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy |title=Fact #257: 3 March 2003 – Vehicle Occupancy by Type of Vehicle}}</ref> A standard twin track railway has a typical capacity 13% greater than a 6-lane highway (3 lanes each way){{citation needed|date=December 2012}}, while requiring only 40% of the land (1.0/3.0 versus 2.5/7.5 hectares per kilometer of direct/indirect land consumption){{citation needed|date=December 2012}}. The Tokaido Shinkansen line in Japan, has a much higher ratio (with as many as 20,000 passengers per hour per direction). Similarly commuter roads tend to carry fewer than 1.57 persons per vehicle (Washington State Department of Transportation, for instance, uses 1.2 persons per vehicle) during commute times.
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| === Advantages over air travel ===
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| {{original research|Find supporting references or this will deleted shortly because|date=July 2013}}
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| Although air transit has higher speeds of travel, users must include additional time for check-in, baggage handling, security, boarding, and taxiing. Furthermore, rail stations are typically closer to urban centers than airports. When considering both processing and travel time to airport or station, the speed advantage of air travel for mid-distance trips becomes significantly offset.
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| Rail travel also has less weather dependency than air travel. If the rail system is well-designed and well-operated, severe weather conditions such as heavy snow, heavy fog, and storms do not affect the journeys; flights generally face cancellations or delays under such conditions. Nevertheless, snow, wind and flooding can delay trains.
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| High-speed trains also have comfort advantages. For example, train passengers can move freely about the train at any point in the journey. The seats are also less subject to weight restrictions than planes, and as such tend to have more padding and legroom. Furthermore, technology advances such as [[continuously welded rail]] have minimized vibration and jerking found on slower railways. Air travel, in contrast, can face [[turbulence]] if adverse wind conditions arise.
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| Another advantage trains have is the ability to accommodate multiple itineraries on single trains. While some trains are nonstop, the flexibility added with intermediate stops would dramatically increase air travel times relative to HSR.
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| === Safety ===
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| HSR is much simpler to control due to its predictable course. High-speed rail systems reduce (but do not eliminate)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bild.de/BILD/news/bild-english/world-news/2010/08/17/train-crash-horror-in-germany/ice-slashed-open-by-garbage-truck-15-injured.html |title=ICE train slashed open by garbage truck in Germany |publisher=Bild.de |accessdate=28 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bild.de/BILD/news/bild-english/world-news/2010/06/24/fatal-spain-high-speed-crash/train-kills-12-young-people-near-barcelona.html |title=Fatal high-speed train kills 12 young pedestrians near beach in Barcelona |publisher=Bild.de |accessdate=28 August 2010}}</ref> collisions with automobiles or people, by using non-grade level track and eliminating grade level crossings.
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| == Accidents ==
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| The followings are notable accidents involving high-speed trains:
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| === The 1998 Eschede accident ===
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| {{Unreferenced section|date=July 2013}}
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| {{Main|Eschede train disaster}}
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| In 1998, after over thirty years of high speed rail operations worldwide without fatal accidents, the Eschede accident occurred in Germany: a poorly designed ICE 1 wheel broke at {{convert|200|km/h|0|abbr=on}} near [[Eschede]], resulting in the derailment and destruction of almost the entire full set of 16 cars and the subsequent death toll of 101 people.{{citation needed|date=July 2013}}
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| === The 2011 Wenzhou accident ===
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| {{Main|Wenzhou train collision}}
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| On 23 July 2011, 13 years after the Eschede train accident, a Chinese CRH2 traveling at {{convert|100|km/h|0|abbr=on}} collided with a CRH1 which was stopped on a viaduct in the suburbs of Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, China. The two trains derailed, and four cars fell off the viaduct. 40 people were killed, at least 192 were injured, 12 of which were severe injuries.<ref>[http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-07/25/c_131008630.htm xinhuanet: Death toll from China's train crash rises to 39, including two Americans]</ref>
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| The disaster led to a number of changes in management and exploitation of high-speed rail in China. Despite the fact that high speed was not a factor in the accident, one of the major changes was the lowering by {{convert|50|km/h|0|abbr=on}} of all maximum speeds in China HST, {{convert|350|km/h|0|abbr=on}} becoming 300, {{convert|250|km/h|0|abbr=on}} becoming 200, and {{convert|200|km/h|0|abbr=on}} becoming 160.<ref>[http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2011-08/12/content_13097239.htm chinadaily : Decision to slow trains met with mixed response]</ref><ref>[http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011-08/23/content_13167866.htm chinadaily : More high-speed trains slow down to improve safety]</ref>
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| === The 2013 Santiago de Compostela accident ===
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| {{Main|Santiago de Compostela derailment}}
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| In July 2013, a high-speed train in Spain attempted to round a curve which had a speed limit of {{convert|80|kph}} at {{convert|190|kph}}, leading to 78 fatalities.<ref>[http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/25/19661944-american-among-80-killed-in-spanish-train-crash-driver-detained?lite American among 80 killed in Spanish train crash; driver detained]</ref> Normally high-speed rail has automatic speed limiting restrictions, but this track section is a conventional section and in this case the automatic speed limit was disabled several kilometers before the station. Two days after the accident, the driver was provisionally charged with homicide by negligence. This is the first accident that occurred with a Spanish high-speed train, but it occurred in a section that was not high speed.<ref>[http://www.02b.com/es/notices/2013/07/el_accidente_atemoriza_a_las_empresas_que_pujan_por_el_ave_de_brasil_6826.php Not high speed, Spanish]</ref>
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| == Maximum speed ==
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| {{Main|Land speed record for railed vehicles}}
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| [[File:JR-Maglev-MLX01-2.jpg|thumb|[[MLX01]] [[Maglev (transport)|magnetic-levitation]] train, unconventional speed record holder ({{convert|581|km/h|1|abbr=on|disp=or}})]]
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| [[File:2007-06-18 - Gare de Paris-Est - TGV 4402.JPG|thumb|[[V150 (train)|V150 train]], modified [[TGV]], conventional world speed record holder ({{convert|574.8|km/h|1|abbr=on|disp=or}})]]
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| There are several definitions of "maximum speed" :
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| * The maximum speed at which a train is allowed to run by law or policy in daily service (MOR)
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| * The maximum speed at which an unmodified train is proved to be capable of running.
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| * The maximum speed at which specially modified train is proved to be capable of running.
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| === Absolute speed record ===
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| ==== Conventional rail ====
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| Since the 1955 record, France has nearly continuously held the absolute world speed record. The latest record is held by a [[SNCF TGV POS]] trainset, which reached {{convert|574.8|km/h|1|abbr=on}} in 2007, on the newly constructed [[LGV Est]] high-speed line. This run was for proof of concept and engineering, not to test normal passenger service.
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| Unlike the unconventional records, the TGV records have been made by heavily tuned trains, modified from commercial service trains.
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| ==== Unconventional rail ====
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| Speed record for experimental unconventional passenger train was set by the [[SCMaglev|MLX01]] manned "magnetic-levitation" train at {{convert|581|km/h|0|abbr=on}} in 2003.
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| The record for railed vehicles is {{convert|10325|km/h|0|abbr=on}} by an unmanned [[rocket sled]] by the [[United States Air Force]].
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| === Maximum speed in service ===
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| ==== Conventional rail ====
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| The fastest operating conventional trains are the French [[SNCF TGV POS|TGV POS]], German [[ICE 3]], and Japanese [[E5 Series Shinkansen]] with a maximum commercial speed of {{convert|320|km/h|0|abbr=on}}, the former two on some French high-speed lines,{{citation needed|date=September 2013}} and the latter on a part of [[Tohoku Shinkansen]] line.<ref name="jt20130317">{{cite web |url= http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/03/17/national/320-kph-hayabusa-matches-world-speed-record|title= 320-kph Hayabusa matches world speed record|date= 17 March 2013|work= [[The Japan Times]]|publisher= The Japan Times Ltd.|location= Japan|archiveurl= |archivedate= |accessdate= 11 September 2013}}</ref>
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| In Spain, on the [[Madrid–Barcelona high-speed rail line|Madrid–Barcelona HSL]], maximum speed is {{convert|310|km/h|0|abbr=on}}.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}
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| Since July 2011, in China, the maximum speed is officially {{convert|300|km/h|0|abbr=on}}, but a {{convert|10|km/h|0|abbr=on}} tolerance is accepted, and trains often reach {{convert|310|km/h|0|abbr=on}}.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}} Before that, from August 2008 to July 2011, [[China Railway High-speed]] trains hold the highest commercial operating speed record with {{convert|350|km/h|0|abbr=on}} on some lines ([[Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Railway]], [[Wuhan–Guangzhou High-Speed Railway]]).
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| Due to high costs and safety concerns the top speeds in China were reduced to {{convert|300|km/h|0|abbr=on}} on 1 July 2011.<ref name="cdaily3">{{cite news| url=http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/7351162.html| title=World's longest high-speed train to decelerate a bit| date=15 April 2011| newspaper=People's Daily Online}}</ref>
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| ==== Unconventional rail ====
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| The [[Shanghai Maglev Train]] reaches {{convert|431|km/h|0|abbr=on}} during its daily service on its {{convert|30|km|abbr=on}} dedicated line, holding the speed record for commercial train service.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}
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| ==Markets==
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| {{See also|Planned high-speed rail by country|label 1=Planned high-speed rail for countries which don't have an existing network}}
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| The early target areas, identified by France, Japan, Spain, and the U.S., were between pairs of large cities. In France, this was Paris–[[Lyon]], in Japan, Tokyo–[[Osaka]], in Spain, [[Madrid]]–[[Seville]] (then [[Barcelona]]). In European countries, South Korea and Japan, dense networks of city subways and railways provide connections with high speed rail lines.
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| ===Asia===
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| ====China====
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| {{Main|High-speed rail in China}}
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| China has the largest network of high-speed railways in the world and in 2013 it encompassed 10,000 km of high speed rail.<ref>[http://english.eastday.com/e/130926/u1a7683275.html China's high-speed railways exceed 10,000 km-Eastday<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Rabinovitch|first=Simon|title=China’s high-speed rail plans falter|url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/a9337b06-fe20-11e0-a1eb-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2DOC7siah|accessdate=27 November 2012|newspaper=Financial Times|date=27 October 2011|quote=The country’s first bullet train only started running in 2007 but within four years China had developed the world’s largest high-speed network.}}</ref> According to [[Railway Gazette]], the trains between [[Shijiazhuang Railway Station|Shijiazhuang]] and [[Zhengzhou East Railway Station|Zhengzhou East]] have the fastest average operating speed in the world at {{convert|283.7|km/h|1|abbr=on}} {{As of|2013|August|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/high-speed/single-view/view/world-speed-survey-2013-china-sprints-out-in-front.html|accessdate=11 September 2013|title=World Speed Survey 2013: China sprints out in front|work=[[Railway Gazette International]]}}</ref>
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| ====Japan====
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| {{Main|High-speed rail in Japan}}
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| In Japan intra-city rail daily usage per capita is the highest,{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} with cumulative ridership of 6 billion passengers<ref>[http://www.japanrail.com/JR_shinkansen.html Shinkansen (Bullet Train)], Japan Railways Group.</ref> (as of 2003).<ref>[http://www.bu.edu/sjmag/scimag2005/opinion/amtrak.htm AMTRAK, Off Track], Triplepoint. Boston University.</ref>
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| ====Taiwan====
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| {{unreferenced section|date=October 2013}}
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| {{Main|High-speed rail in Taiwan}}
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| [[Taiwan High Speed Rail]] is a high-speed rail line that runs approximately 345 km (214 mi) along the west coast of Taiwan, from the national capital Taipei to the southern city of Kaohsiung. The construction was managed by private company Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation at a total cost of the project was US$18 billion and this company operates the line. The system is based primarily on Japan's [[Shinkansen]] technology.
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| ====South Korea====
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| {{Main|High-speed rail in South Korea}}
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| Since its opening in 2004, [[KTX]] has transferred over 360 million passengers until April 2013, accounting to one South Korean using it seven times. For any transportation involving travel above {{convert|300|km|0|abbr=on}}, the KTX secured a market share of 57% over other modes of transport, which is by far the largest.<ref>[http://www.hankyung.com/news/app/newsview.php?aid=201304012525g KTX 개통 9년…이용객 4억명 돌파 눈앞]. Hankyung.com. Retrieved on 2013-07-12.</ref>
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| ====Russia====
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| {{Main|High-speed rail in Russia}}
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| Other target areas include freight lines, such as the [[Trans-Siberian Railway]] in Russia, which would allow 3 day Far East to Europe service for freight, potentially fitting in between the months by ship and hours by air.
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| ===Americas===
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| ====United States====
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| {{Main|High-speed rail in the United States}}
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| The United States has domestic definitions for high-speed rail varying between jurisdictions.
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| * The [[United States Code]] defines high-speed rail as services "reasonably expected to reach sustained speeds of more than {{convert|125|mph|km/h|0|abbr=on|disp=5}}",<ref name=title49>{{cite web| url=http://uscode.house.gov/uscode-cgi/fastweb.exe?getdoc+uscview+t49t50+641+8++| title=US Code Title 49 § 26105 –Definitions| work=US Code Title 49| quote=reasonably expected to reach sustained speeds of more than {{convert|125|mi|0|abbr=on}} per hour| date=1 February 2010|accessdate=27 May 2011}}</ref>
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| * The [[Federal Railroad Administration]] uses a definition of top speeds at {{convert|110|mph|km/h|0|abbr=on|disp=5}} and above.<ref name="fra.dot.gov">{{cite web|url=http://www.fra.dot.gov/eLib/details/L02833|title=High-Speed Rail Strategic Plan|publisher=U.S. Department of Transportation|date= April 1, 2009 |accessdate=2013-06-28}}</ref>
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| * The [[Congressional Research Service]] uses the term "[[higher speed rail]]" for speeds up to {{convert|150|mph|km/h|0|abbr=on|disp=5}} and "very high speed rail" for the rail on dedicated tracks with speeds over {{convert|150|mph|km/h|0|abbr=on|disp=5}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Development of High Speed Rail in the United States: Issues and Recent Events|url=http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42584.pdf|publisher=Congressional Research Service|accessdate=10 October 2012}}</ref>
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| As of 2013, the [[Northeast corridor]] ([[Acela Express]]) is the only high-speed rail line in operation in the United States linking [[Boston]], [[New York City]] and [[Washington, D.C.]] The [[California High-Speed Rail]] project is planned to have its first operating segment between [[Fresno, California|Fresno]] and [[Bakersfield, California|Bakersfield]] in 2021. No other segment is expected to be in service before 2025.<ref>{{cite web|title=High Speed lines in the World|url=http://www.uic.org/IMG/pdf/20130701_high_speed_lines_in_the_world.pdf|publisher=UIC High Speed Department|accessdate=21 July 2013|date=1 July 2013}}</ref>
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| ===Europe===
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| {{Main|High-speed rail in Europe}}
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| ====France====
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| {{Main|High-speed rail in France}}
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| Market segmentation has principally focused on the business travel market. The French original focus on business travelers is reflected by the early design of the [[TGV]] trains. Pleasure travel was a secondary market; now many of the French extensions connect with vacation beaches on the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] and [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]], as well as major [[amusement park]]s and also the ski resorts in France and Switzerland. Friday evenings are the peak time for TGVs (''train à grande vitesse'').<ref>Metzler, 1992</ref> The system lowered prices on long distance travel to compete more effectively with air services, and as a result some cities within an hour of Paris by TGV have become commuter communities, increasing the market while restructuring [[land use]].<ref>Levinson, D.</ref>
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| On the Paris – Lyon service, the number of passengers grew sufficiently to justify the introduction of double-decker coaches.
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| Later high-speed rail lines, such as the LGV Atlantique, the LGV Est, and most high-speed lines in France, were designed as feeder routes branching into conventional rail lines, serving a larger number of medium-sized cities.
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| ====Germany====
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| {{Main|High-speed rail in Germany}}
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| Germany's first high-speed lines ran north-south, for historical reasons, and later developed east-west after German unification.{{citation needed|date=May 2012}}
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| ====Italy====
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| {{Main|High-speed rail in Italy}}
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| During the 1920s and '30s, Italy was one of the first countries to develop the technology for high speed rail. The country constructed the ''Direttissime'' railways connecting major cities on dedicated electrified high-speed track (although not as high-speed as would nowadays be called high-speed rail) and developed the fast [[ETR 200]] trainset. After the Second World War and the fall of the fascist regime, interest in high speed rail dwindled, with the successive governments considering it too costly and developing the tilting [[Pendolino]], to run at medium-high speed (up to {{convert|250|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}) on conventional lines, instead. The only exception was the ''Direttissima'' between Florence and Rome, but it was not conceived to be part of a high speed line on large scale.{{citation needed|date=July 2013}}
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| A true dedicated high speed rail network was developed during the 80s and the 90s and in 2010 {{convert|1000|km|0|abbr=on}} of high speed rail were fully operational. Frecciarossa services are operated with [[ETR 500]] non-tilting trains at 25kVAC, 50 Hz power. The operational speed of the service is of {{convert|300|km/h|0|abbr=on}}. ETR1000 trainsets are currently under construction and were developed by the consortium formed by AnsaldoBreda and [[Bombardier Transportation|Bombardier]]. Based on the [[Bombardier Zefiro]] trainset, it will operate up to {{convert|360|km/h|0|abbr=on}} on the existing high speed rail system.<ref>{{cite web|title=Il prototipo dell'ETR1000 di Bombardier/AnsaldoBreda sarà presentato ad agosto|url=http://www.cityrailways.it/home/2012/6/15/il-prototipo-delletr1000-di-bombardieransaldobreda-sara-pres.html|publisher=Cityrailways.it|accessdate=25 June 2012}}</ref>
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| Over 100 million passengers used the Frecciarossa from the service introduction and the first months of 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=Alta Velocità: tagliato il traguardo dei 100 milioni di viaggiatori|url=http://www.ilsussidiario.net/News/Trasporti-e-Mobilita/2012/5/10/ALTA-VELOCITA-Tagliato-il-traguardo-dei-100-milioni-di-viaggiatori/277551/|publisher=ilsussidiario.net|accessdate=25 June 2012}}</ref> Italian high speed services is recording profits, encouraging [[Trenitalia]] to plan major investments{{Which|date=July 2013}} and to cede a large part of local and regional services to other operators ( like [[Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori]] and [[Trenord]]) and focusing efforts on high-speed and long-distance services (also through the medium-speed Frecciargento, Frecciabianca and InterCity services, which run on conventional lines).<ref>{{cite web|title=Trenitalia: Dal 2013 a rischio il trasporto locale|url=http://tg24.sky.it/tg24/economia/2012/06/11/trenitalia_fs_mauro_moretti_treni_locali.html|publisher=SkyTG24|accessdate=25 June 2012}}</ref>
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| ====Spain====
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| {{main|High-speed rail in Spain}}
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| Spain has built an extensive high speed rail network, {{convert|3100|km|0|abbr=on}} (2013), the largest in Europe. It uses [[standard gauge]] in opposite to the [[Iberian gauge]] used in the most of the national railway network, meaning that the high speed railways are separated and has almost only high speed trains, no local trains and no freight. This network is from 2013 connected to the French network, with direct trains [[Paris]]-[[Barcelona]].
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| ====Switzerland====
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| High speed north-south freight lines in Switzerland are under construction, avoiding slow mountainous truck traffic, and lowering labour costs. The new lines, in particular the [[Gotthard Base Tunnel]], are built for {{convert|250|km/h|0|abbr=on}}. But the short high-speed parts and the mix with freight will keep the average speeds down. The limited size of the country gives fairly short domestic travel times anyway.
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| ====Turkey====
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| {{main|High-speed rail in Turkey}}
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| The [[Turkish State Railways]] started building high-speed rail lines in 2003. The first section of the line, between [[Ankara]] and [[Eskişehir]], was inaugurated on March 13, 2009. It is a part of the {{convert|533|km|0|abbr=on}} [[Istanbul]] to [[Ankara]] high-speed rail line. A subsidiary of Turkish State Railways, [[Yüksek Hızlı Tren]] is the sole commercial operator of [[high speed train]]s in Turkey.
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| The construction of three separate high-speed lines from Ankara to Istanbul, [[Konya]] and [[Sivas]], as well as taking an Ankara–[[İzmir]] line to the launch stage, form part of the [[Ministry of Transport and Communication (Turkey)|Turkish Ministry of Transport]]'s strategic aims and targets.<ref>[http://www.mt.gov.tr/eubak/strategy STRATEGIC AIMS AND TARGETS] ''www.mt.gov.tr''</ref> Turkey plans to construct a network of high-speed lines in the early part of the 21st century, targeting a {{convert|1500|km|0|abbr=on}} network of high-speed lines by 2013 and a {{convert|10000|km|0|abbr=on}} network by the year 2023.<ref>[http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/kurumsal/TCDDANNUALREPORT2008.pdf TCDD annual report 2008] ''www.tcdd.gov.tr''</ref>
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| ====United Kingdom====
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| {{Main|High-speed rail in the United Kingdom}}
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| The UK's fastest high-speed line ([[High Speed 1|HS-1]]) connects [[St Pancras station|London St Pancras]] with [[Brussels]] and [[Paris]] through the [[Channel Tunnel Rail Link|Channel Tunnel]].{{citation needed|date=September 2013}} It is the only high speed line in Britain with an operating speed of more than {{convert|125|mph|0|abbr=on}}.
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| The [[Great Western Main Line]], [[South Wales Main Line]], [[West Coast Main Line]], [[Midland Main Line]], [[Cross Country Route]] and [[East Coast Main Line]] all have maximum speed limits of {{convert|125|mph|0|abbr=on}} on all or part of the line. Attempts to increase speeds to {{convert|140|mph|0|abbr=on}} on both the West Coast Main Line and East Coast Main Line have failed because the trains on those lines do not have cab signaling, which is a legal requirement in the UK for trains to be permitted to operate at speeds greater than {{convert|125|mph|0|abbr=on}} due to the impracticality of observing lineside signals at such speeds.
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| ==See also==
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| {{Portal|Trains}}
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| * [[Vactrain]]
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| * [[Ground effect train]]
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| * [[High-speed rail by country]]
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| * [[Land speed record for rail vehicles]]
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| * [[Magnetic levitation train]]
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| * [[Megaproject]]
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| * [[Planned high-speed rail by country]]
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| * [[Passenger rail terminology]]
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| * [[List of high-speed trains]]
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| ==Notes and references==
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| {{Reflist|30em}}
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| ==Further reading==
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| *{{Cite book | first=Christopher P. | last=Hood | year=2006 | title=Shinkansen – From Bullet Train to Symbol of Modern Japan | chapter= | editor= | others= | publisher=Routledge | isbn=0-415-32052-6 | url= }}
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| *{{Cite book|title=Una leggenda che corre: breve storia dell'elettrotreno e dei suoi primati; ETR.200 – ETR.220 – ETR 240 | first=Giovanni | last=Cornolò | location=Salò|publisher=ETR|year=1990| isbn=88-85068-23-5}}
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| *{{Cite book | first=Gines | last=de Rus | year=2011 | title=The BCA of HSR: Should the Government Invest in High Speed Rail Infrastructure?| chapter= vol 2, issue 1 | editor=Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis | others= | publisher=Berkeley Press, http://ideas.repec.org/a/bpj/jbcacn/v2y2011i1n2.html | url= }}
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| ==External links==
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| {{Commons|High speed trains|High-speed rail}}
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| *[http://www.ushsr.com US High Speed Rail Association official site]
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| *[http://www.maglev.de Transrapid – Maglev: High-Speed in Asia (China, Shanghai), Japan (Yamanashi) and Germany (Munich; TVE)]
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| *[http://www.uic.org/spip.php?rubrique867 UIC: High Speed Rail]
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| *{{Wikivoyage-inline|Tips for rail travel}}
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| {{Public transport}}
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| {{High-speed rail}}
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| {{High-speed railway lines}}
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| {{DEFAULTSORT:High-Speed Rail}}
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| [[Category:High-speed rail|*]]
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| [[Category:Japanese inventions]]
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