Train à Grande Vitesse (France)
France loves its TGV. Like an earth-bound Concorde, the über-brisk Train à Grande Vitesse set the record as the world’s fastest wheeled train when it zoomed to 357 mph on a test run in April 2007. (Usually, the TGV whisks passengers around France at a still speedy 200 mph.) In the '60s and '70s, France also experimented with a high-speed hovercraft train called the Aérotrain that was itself capable of reaching an impressive 267 mph. Vive le train!
Alta Velocidad Española (Spain)
Alongside the amazing food of El Bulli and the spellbinding architecture of Calatrava, Spain can also boast one of the best high-speed rail systems in the world. The nationwide network connects Spain’s largest cities, with its sleek Alta Velocidad Española trains zipping back and forth at speeds reaching 217.5 mph. Currently, Spain is tunneling through five miles of the Pyrenees mountains to build a high-speed rail line between Barcelona and the French border.
France loves its TGV. Like an earth-bound Concorde, the über-brisk Train à Grande Vitesse set the record as the world’s fastest wheeled train when it zoomed to 357 mph on a test run in April 2007. (Usually, the TGV whisks passengers around France at a still speedy 200 mph.) In the '60s and '70s, France also experimented with a high-speed hovercraft train called the Aérotrain that was itself capable of reaching an impressive 267 mph. Vive le train!
Alta Velocidad Española (Spain)
Alongside the amazing food of El Bulli and the spellbinding architecture of Calatrava, Spain can also boast one of the best high-speed rail systems in the world. The nationwide network connects Spain’s largest cities, with its sleek Alta Velocidad Española trains zipping back and forth at speeds reaching 217.5 mph. Currently, Spain is tunneling through five miles of the Pyrenees mountains to build a high-speed rail line between Barcelona and the French border.
Shanghai Maglev Train (China)
Talk about making a splash. In April 2007, China upgraded more than 3,728 miles of its rail network to carry trains that soar up to 124 mph, creating what is now the largest high-speed rail system in the world. The giant Asian nation has also earned bragging rights for its Shanghai Maglev (magnetic levitation) Train, which, manufactured by Germany’s Bombardier company, whisks passengers from the Shanghai airport to a downtown station in under eight minutes, traveling at speeds of 267 mph. Shanghai is currently planning the largest railroad station in Asia—14 million square feet of space spread over five stories.
KTX Rail System (South Korea)
South Korea’s KTX high-speed rail system was launched in 2004, cutting travel time between Seoul and Daejeon to just 49 minutes. While the 186-mph KTX was based on French TGV technology, Korea is close to debuting a homegrown, high-speed aluminum train called the G7 that would be capable of running at speeds of 217.5 mph. Looking even further ahead, Korea hopes to bring its next-generation of trains—the 248.5-mph Highspeed Electric Multiple Unit (HEMU)—online by 2011.
Taiwan High Speed Rail (Taiwan)
It may be a relatively small island nation, but that doesn’t mean Taiwan’s travelers aren’t up to speed. The Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) can zoom from Taipei City in the north to southernmost Kaohsiung City at speeds of up to 186 mph—a journey that takes just 90 minutes (one-third the time of a conventional train trip). THSR chose to base its system on the Japanese shinkansen, in part because Japan had built its network to cope with earthquake risks that also affect Taiwan. The private system has already carried 10 million passengers since opening earlier this year.
InterCityExpress (Germany)
Although Germany did not deploy its InterCityExpress (ICE) high-speed trains until 10 years after France’s TGV hit the rails, the country has made up for lost time. The third-generation ICE trains currently in service can whisk passengers from Dresden to Düsseldorf at speeds of 205 mph; and the system is integrated into the rail networks of neighboring Belgium, the Netherlands and France. Meanwhile, Germany continues to develop its Transrapid maglev (magnetic levitation) train, which has clocked speeds of 342 mph in testing.
Eurostar (Europe)
A shining, speeding symbol of the fruits of international cooperation, the Eurostar partnership continues to strengthen links among England, France and Belgium. In September 2007, the opening of new tracks in England allowed Eurostar to set speed records for travel between London and the continent. Travelers can now hop from London to Brussels in just one hour and 43 minutes (moving at 186 mph), or London to Paris in just over two hours. Eurostar passengers have the added bonus of arriving in London at the newly renovated Century St. Pancras station, a masterpiece of Victorian architecture and engineering that practically glows after its $1.65 billion restoration.
Treno Alta Velocità Spa (Italy)
The Italians introduced high-speed rail travel to Europe back in 1978 with the Direttissima, which shuttled between Rome and Florence at a molto rapido speed of 158 mph. These days, Italy’s Treno Alta Velocità SpA company is moving full speed ahead to create a newer, faster rail network. In 2005, the line between Rome and Naples began carrying passengers at 186 mph. A second line capable of the same speed opened next between Turin and Milan. Engineers are working on extending Italy’s high-speed networks across international borders into neighboring France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia.
EUROTEM (Turkey)
As bureaucrats bicker over whether Turkey is modern enough to join the European Union, the Turks themselves prefer to spend their time constructively building their own state-of-the-art high-speed rail network. Using trains purchased from Spain, Turkey plans to cut travel times between Istanbul and Ankara in half, letting passengers make the journey in just three hours at speeds of 186 mph. Meanwhile, Turkey and South Korea have joined forces in a partnership called EUROTEMP to build the next generation of Turkish high-speed rail, with trains capable of speeds as high as 217.5 mph.
