Of course, trains cannot fly over oceans like airplanes. But compared to airplanes, trains are much cheaper and more comfortable, and the view from the window is much more picturesque. The most modern high-speed train can take you from one city to another in a few hours. We have compiled for you a list of the 10 fastest trains in the world.
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10THSR 700T, Taiwan
The THSR 700T is a series of Taiwanese multi-car high-speed trains. The first launch took place on January 5, 2007. This train has an ultra-high-speed route between the cities of Taipei and Kaohsiung. At a maximum speed of 300 km/h. The THSR 700T has managed to reduce travel time between these cities from 4.5 hours to just 90 minutes. The 700T train has 12 cars and is driven by a multi-level, multi-motor system. 9 out of 12 cars are involved in providing the train with energy. This guarantees high speed and space.
The 700T trains are built in Japan by a consortium of three large companies - Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Nippon Sharyo and Hitachi. The powerful 700T engines enable acceleration from 0 to 300 km/h in just 15 minutes. The introduction of European safety requirements has made it possible to expand the safety functions of the 700T - the possibility of bi-directional operations, the presence of an instability detection system, fire and smoke detectors and control stop stations.
Currently, 700T trains are operated in Taiwan on high-speed rail. Each 700T train has one business class car and 11 standard cars. The 700T's business class cabin can accommodate 66 passengers, while the standard class has 923 seats per train. The THSR 700T carriages are soundproof and offer a variety of travel and real-time train information.
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9ETR 500 Frecciarossa Train, Italy
Maximum speed: 300 km/h
The ETR 500 Frecciarossa is the fastest train in Italy and is operated by Trenitalia. The maximum speed of the train is 300 km/h. You can use this train on the Milan-Rome-Naples route, with 72 departures daily. Today there are 28 non-stop Frecciarossa trains between Milan and Rome. At their maximum speed, the Frecciarossa can travel from Milan to Rome in just 2 hours and 40 minutes.
The Frecciarossa train is a modernized version of the Italian high-speed train ETR 500. The Frecciarossa is built by a consortium of manufacturing companies Ansaldobreda, Bombardier and Alstom Frecciarossa. The train consists of four types of carriages - standard class, premium class, business class and executive class. Frecciarossa carriages are soundproofed and have free Wi-Fi.
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8SNCF TGV Duplex, France
The TGV Duplex is considered the fastest train in France; it can travel at a speed of 320 km/h. The train belongs to the railway company SNCF. Such trains first entered service in December 2011. TGV Duplex is a two-tier high speed trains, which operate on routes connecting all major cities in France. This is one of the most comfortable European trains and can accommodate 508 passengers.
The double-level TGV trains are manufactured by Alstom. To reduce the weight of the composition, aluminum is used in the production of its body. The TGV Duplex has an eco-friendly design and a recycling rate of 90%. The train's rigid passenger compartments also provide safety in the event of a collision.
On this type of train, passengers are offered three main classes of seats - standard class, first class and TGV Pro. Standard Class is equipped with comfortable seats, snack vending machines and a refreshment bar. In first class, you'll get more comfortable seats, separate reading lights, and power outlets for a variety of devices. The TGV Pro class offers additional comfortable and spacious seats, a welcome drink, free Wi-Fi, newspapers and magazines.
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7Alstom Euroduplex, France
Maximum speed: 320 km/h
Euroduplex trains are the third generation of high-speed TGV Duplex trains. Euroduplex is operated by the French railway company SNCF. Such trains are connected by a network railways France, Switzerland, Germany and Luxembourg. These multifunctional trains can travel at a maximum speed of 320 km/h.
Euroduplex trains were first launched in December 2011, and one such train can carry 1,020 passengers at a time. Euroduplex trains are developed by the railway company Alstom. Unlike the two previous generations of the Euroduplex train this version has reduced weight, improved aerodynamics and low energy consumption. The Euroduplex contains monitors with information about the train in real time, one located next to the door to the carriage, and several more inside the carriage itself.
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6E5 Series Shinkansen Hayabusa, Japan
Maximum speed: 320 km/h
The E5 Shinkansen Hayabusa series trains are the fastest in Japan today. They began carrying passengers on March 5, 2011 and are operated by the East Japan Railway Company. These trains carry passengers from Tokyo to the city of Aomori. With a maximum speed of 320 km/h, such a passage covers the distance between these cities in just 2 hours and 56 minutes.
The first carriage of this train has a long 15-meter nose. This design helps minimize noise and vibration when trains travel through tunnels. The Hayabusa train is based on the Fastech 360S high-speed train developed by East Japan Railway Company. These trains have 10 carriages with a total capacity of 731 passengers.
The E5 Shinkansen Hayabusa trains have three main classes - standard, green class and grand class. The train has 658 standard class seats, 55 green class seats and 18 gran class seats. Grand Class is the main attraction of Hayabusa trains. These premium seats provide premium service and luxury amenities such as reclining leather seats, sleep masks, slippers and blankets, while staff will provide soft drinks and food for all passengers.
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5Talgo 350, Spain
Talgo 350 are high-speed trains in Spain, operated by the state-owned railway company. They can reach a maximum speed of 350 km/h. Talgo 350 operates between Madrid and Barcelona. The train has two control cars and 12 passenger cars. In Spain, such trains are called "Pato", after the nose of the first carriage, which resembles a duck's beak. This distinctive design of the Talgo 350 reduces aerodynamics.
The carriages on Talgo 350 trains are divided into four classes - Club class, First class, Bistro class and Divan class. The Talgo 350 has comfortable folding seats with footrests in all classes of carriages. Passengers also have access to video and audio devices in every seat. The train is also equipped with many information panels that operate in real time and are located both inside and outside the cars.
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4Siemens Velaro E/AVS 103, Spain
Maximum speed: 350 km/h
The Velaro E is the Spanish version of the Velaro E high-speed trains developed by the German company Siemens. In Spain, Velaro trains are called AVS 103. Velaro E are used on the Barcelona - Madrid route. The maximum speed of such a train is 350 km/h. The Velaro E train can take passengers from Barcelona to Madrid in just 2 hours and 30 minutes. On this route, the Velaro E reaches a top speed of 403.7 km/h.
Spanish National Railways ordered Velaro E high-speed trains in 2001, and they began serving passengers in June 2007. The train has 8 passenger cars with a total capacity of 404 seats.
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3AVG Italo, Italy
Maximum speed: 360 km/h
AVG Italo is the fastest train in use in Europe. This high-speed multiple unit train has a maximum operating speed of 360 km/h. But during its initial test in 2007, its speed record was set at 574 km/h. These trains were built by the French manufacturing company Alstom. In 2008, the Italian company Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori (NTV) ordered 25 AVG trains from Alstom for €650 million.
The first AVG Italo train began service in April 2007 on the route between Rome and Naples. Passengers can travel the distance between these cities in just 1 hour. AVG Italo is a very environmentally friendly train, 98% of its components are recyclable. The train has 11 carriages and seats are divided into three classes - Club, Prima and Smart. All three AVG Italo grades offer adjustable leather seats, live TV and free Wi-Fi.
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2Harmony CRH 380A, China
Maximum speed: 380 km/h
China's Harmony CRH 380A is the second fastest train in the world. This electric multiple unit train can travel at a maximum speed of 380 km/h during commercial operation. But his speed record was 416.6 km per hour during the first tests. China Railways has been using CRH 380A trains on regular Shanghai-Nanjing services since October 2010.
The CRH 380A high-speed trains are manufactured by CSR Qingdao Sifang Locomotive and Rolling Stock. The CRH 380A train is lightweight due to its aluminum alloy body and the front of the first carriage resembling a fish's head. This unusual train design reduces aerodynamic pressure. There is absolutely no vibration felt on the train.
The CRH 380A train can carry 494 passengers at a time. Each of them will be provided with a reading lamp, power ports and an electronic display. There is also a VIP viewing section next to the driver's cabin. An entire carriage in the CRH 380A is dedicated to serving food and beverages to passengers.
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1Shanghai Maglev, China
Top speed: 431 km/h
The Shanghai Maglev is the fastest train in the world with a maximum operating speed of 431 km/h. The train is operated by Shanghai Maglev Transportation Development Co in Shanghai.
Shanghai Maglev operates on a maglev railway line. Unlike conventional train tracks, the Shanghai Maglev does not have wheels and floats on a magnetic field that exists between the train and the railway track.
The Shanghai Maglev reaches its top speed of 431 km/h in just 4 minutes. The 30.5 km route in Shanghai is the only one in the world to operate Maglev. This train was built by Siemens and ThyssenKrupp. Passenger service started on January 1, 2004.
The train route runs between one of the metro stations in Shanghai and Pudong International Airport. This train takes only 7 minutes and 20 seconds to cover the entire distance. The total passenger capacity of the Shanghai Maglev train is 574 people. He travels every 15 minutes. Ticket prices are $8 or $16 for VIP tickets.
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Conclusion
Just think! The speed of some of these trains is much higher than the speed of a Formula 1 car. One can only envy the residents of those countries where these high-speed trains run! This was an article TOP 10 fastest trains in the world. Thank you for your attention!
High speed movement trains
The following gradation of passenger train speeds has developed:
up to 140-160 km/h – train movement on conventional railways;
up to 200 km/h – express train traffic, as a rule, on reconstructed lines;
over 200 km/h – high speed traffic on specially built high-speed highways (HSM).
The history of the development of Russian railways shows a consistent increase in speeds. Back in 1901, on the St. Petersburg - Moscow railway, courier trains operated at a maximum speed of 110 km/h. In 1913, in experimental trips with a conventional steam locomotive of the C series, a speed of 125 km/h was reached, and in 1915 with a steam locomotive of the L series - maximum speed 117 km/h.
In 1938, on the Moscow-Leningrad highway, for the first time in the USSR, a speed of 177 km/h was reached when testing a steam locomotive manufactured by the Kolomna Plant with an axle formula of 2-3-2 and an axle load of 20.5 tons. Trips (test and operational) were carried out on rails weighing 43.6 kg/m. In the 1960s, a series of experimental trips were carried out between Moscow and Leningrad, in which the maximum speed reached 220 km/h.
In 1972, experimental trips of a passenger car with a turbojet engine at a speed of 240 km/h were carried out in the USSR.
The first projects for the Moscow-Leningrad expressway were developed back in the 1930s (K.N. Kashkin, G.D. Dubiler, I.V. Romanov). However, in reality, work on organizing railway traffic with increased speeds began only in the early 1960s.
After laying a continuous track from P65 rails, replacing turnouts, completing electrification and using electric locomotives of the ChS2 series, the Aurora daily express was put into service on the Moscow-Leningrad line in 1964 with a route speed of 130.4 km/h.
The first high-speed train in the USSR, ER 200 (“Rizhsky Electric Train”), which had a maximum speed of 200 km/h, was developed and manufactured in 1968-74. Since 1984, the ER 200 electric train has been in operation on the Moscow – Leningrad line. The travel time of this train between the end points was 4 hours 30 minutes, the route speed was 144 km/h. Simultaneously with the ER 200, another high-speed train was being developed, called the Russian Troika, designed for speeds of up to 200 km/h. The train was supposed to be a permanent formation consisting of RT 200 cars from the Kalinin (from 1990 Tver) carriage plant and an electric locomotive ChS 200 (produced in Czechoslovakia). 8 prototype cars were manufactured, which showed good results in tests, but the Russian Troika train was not used in commercial operation.
Since 1994, Russia has been implementing an industry program for the development of high-speed traffic, in accordance with which projects were implemented to create special rolling stock at maximum speeds of up to 200 km/h: high-speed passenger electric locomotives EP 100 DC and EP 200 AC, passenger cars of various types class for high-speed traffic.
In 2009, high-speed Sapsan trains, produced in collaboration with Siemens, began operating on the Moscow–St. Petersburg line. The maximum speed of these trains is 250 km/h. The distance of 650 km is covered in 3 hours 45 minutes. In the first year, 2 million passengers were transported. In the summer of 2010, the movement of Sapsan trains was organized in the direction Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod.
In December 2010, regular service of high-speed trains “Allegro”, manufactured by Alstom, began between St. Petersburg and Helsinki. The maximum speed of the new electric train in Russia is 200 km/h, in Finland – 220 km/h. Travel time on this international route has been reduced from 6 hours 18 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes.
One of the strategic directions innovative development JSC Russian Railways for the period until 2015 is to expand high-speed passenger train traffic (Fig. 67). The importance attached to the high-speed movement of passenger trains is evidenced by the Decree “On measures to organize the movement of high-speed railway transport in the Russian Federation” signed on March 16, 2010 by the President of the Russian Federation.
The history of the development of railway transport has many achievements in the field of increasing speed, often they were a kind of technical sensation. Back in 1847, in England, on one of the 92 km sections of the Great Western Railway, passenger trains reached speeds of 93 km/h. In 1890, the Crampton steam locomotive in France with a train weighing 157 tons reached a speed of 144 km/h. A German electric train has surpassed the speed limit of 200 km/h for the first time. In 1903, on the Marienfelde-Zossen section, a speed of 210 km/h was reached during testing.
Rice. 67. Development of high-speed passenger traffic in Russia
In 1955, the speed limit of 300 km/h was exceeded for the first time in France and a speed record was set at 331 km/h. This record was improved on February 28, 1981 - the TGV train reached a speed of 380 km/h.
Continuing work in this area shows that the traditional wheel-rail transport system has not exhausted its capabilities. In 1988, in Germany, when testing an experimental ICE train, a speed of 406.9 km/h was achieved. But this milestone was soon surpassed: in 1989, a TGV train in France reached a speed of 412, then 482.4, and finally, in May 1990, an incredible speed record was set - 515.3 km/h.
For the first time in the world, the idea of high-speed rail traffic was implemented in Japan (Fig. 68), between the cities of Tokyo and Osaka, where the Tokaido high-speed line, 516 km long, was put into operation in 1964. The maximum speed on the new line was 210 km/h, and the trip from Tokyo to Osaka took 3 hours 10 minutes.
Due to their high speed and comfort, high-speed trains have gained widespread popularity among the population. Within 5 years, passenger traffic on this line more than doubled and reached 70 million people. per year. Such significant volumes of work provided a solid basis for the economic viability of the high-speed line and allowed Japanese Railways to plan further construction of such lines.
Rice. 68. The first high-speed electric train (Japan)
In 1970, Japan passed a law creating a nationwide network of high-speed rail lines, which was called Shinkansen. This gave new impetus to the development of high-speed traffic. In 1975, the Sanye high-speed line came into operation. Having crossed the strait, this line reached the city of Fukuoka, connecting two islands - Kyushu and Honshu.
1982 saw the opening of two more new high-speed lines (HSL): the Tohoku Line, located north of Tokyo and connecting the cities of Omiya and Marioka, and the Zeetsu Line, crossing the island of Honshu from the coast of the Sea of Japan to the Pacific coast on the Omiya-Niigata route. In the early 2000s, the length of the high-speed railway network in Japan, which includes six main lines, exceeded 2100 km, and the maximum speed of trains traveling along it is 240-260 km/h (Fig. 69).
Shinkansen highways are intended for passenger traffic only. Unlike conventional railways, which have a narrow gauge, the gauge of high-speed lines complies with the European standard and is 1435 mm. As a result, Shinkansen type trains are forced to operate in a closed system. High-speed highways enter directly into the centers of cities and towns, crossing them on overpasses 25-30 m high.
Rice. 69. Japanese high-speed electric train 300 series
When creating the Shinkansen network, Japanese specialists solved a number of complex problems engineering problems related to the choice of track structure, the creation of new rolling stock, artificial structures and other technical means.
Traffic safety devices occupy a special place in these developments. The principle of their operation is that if any malfunction or violation of the operating mode occurs, creating a safety hazard, the train stops immediately. For land transport, this means eliminating the hazard.
Practice has proven the high efficiency of the security system used. During the entire operation of the Shinkansen lines, there was not a single accident or crash, not a single passenger was killed or injured. And by the end of the 1990s, about 3 billion people were transported.
Every day, 427 high-speed express trains run along the Shinkansen highway, carrying more than 440 thousand people.
Extensive work is underway to create a new generation of trains with the goal of achieving speeds of 300-350 km/h on Japan’s existing high-speed rail network. Since the permanent devices of this network were designed for speeds of up to 250 km/h, it was necessary to significantly reduce the axle load. This was achieved - in the experimental train the axle load is less than 8 tons.
The ideologist of high-speed rail systems in Europe is France. After two years of theoretical development, in 1976 the Society of Railways (SNCF): began construction of the Paris-Lyon high-speed line, and in September 1981 the green light for the TGV high-speed train was given on this line (Fig. 70). The design of the TGV system was carried out in such a way that trains could run on the new line at a speed of 270 km/h and switch to the regular railway network. Thanks to this, an accelerated railway connection between Paris and the south-eastern regions of France was ensured. Currently, TGV trains in the south-east direction serve more than 50 settlements, where 56% of the country's population lives. The length of the TGV - South-East network is 2,487 km, of which 417 km are on the new line.
Commercial traffic speeds increased sharply. On the Paris-Lyon route it was 213 km/h, and the travel time between these cities was reduced to 2 hours.
Rice. 70. French high-speed double-decker electric train TGV Duplex
Based on the first successes, the French Railway Society proposed, and the President of the Republic and the government, decided to build a new high-speed line TGV - Atlantic, which was put into operation in September 1989. The total length of the line is 285 km.
Just like the TGV line - South East, the new high-speed line is intended exclusively for passenger transport. A new generation of high-speed trains TGV - Atlantic has been created for the Atlantic line, the maximum speed of which during commercial operation on newly built sections is 300, and on conventional railway lines - 220 km/h.
Then the HSR “North” was put into operation - direction to Belgium and to the Channel Tunnel (332 km); a bypass high-speed railway around Paris, connecting the high-speed lines of France and a number of European countries into a single network (102 km). The total length of the French high-speed railway by 2004 was almost 1,500 km and the construction of several more lines is ongoing.
The French concept of high-speed rolling stock provides for the creation of trains of permanent formation with locomotive traction. Two electric locomotives are placed at the ends of the train, and passenger cars are located between them. A feature of the French TGV train is the use of articulated cars on intermediate bogies.
In Germany, the first high-speed railway line appeared in 1991; today the length of such lines is 800 km (Fig. 71). In Spain and Italy, high-speed highways with a length of 471 and 236 km, respectively, were introduced in 1992.
Rice. 71. German high-speed electric train ICE 3
In 1992, trains consisting of cars with forced tilting bodies began to operate in Sweden. Such trains reach a speed of 220 km/h. IN different countries Up to 20 types of such cars have already been created.
In the UK, three main routes are being improved: London - Glasgow, London - Newcastle - Edinburgh and London - Bristol - Cardiff to achieve speeds of 225 km/h.
Following Europe and Japan, high-speed traffic is also developing in the USA, where for a long time main role played road and air modes of transport. There are seven projects to create high-speed rail transport systems in the United States. Some of them are under consideration, others have been carried out scientific research and pre-design developments. Currently, the highest speed (193 km/h) for passenger trains is realized in the so-called Northeast Corridor on the Washington - New York section. On the new highways, traffic speeds will reach 270-300 km/h.
High-speed rail projects are closest to implementation in the states of Texas and Florida. In Florida, the 540 km line, designed for a speed of 280 km/h, will be built between the cities of Miami, Orlando and Tampa using a traditional wheel-rail design. In Texas, high-speed lines will connect the cities of San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston.
Work on the creation of high-speed railways is being carried out on almost all continents. Australia has announced plans to build a high-speed line between the cities of Sydney and Melbourne. High-speed trains for it will be supplied by leading companies in France and Germany, which have succeeded in creating TGV and ICE trains. German enterprises must supply Australia with high-speed locomotives, and French enterprises must supply carriages. The new 870-kilometer line will feature 30 pairs of trains with average speed 292 km/h and maximum 350 km/h.
On high-speed lines, track design, signaling and communication devices largely retain traditional principles.
However, they are becoming qualitatively new in their knowledge intensity, reliability and methods of content. Their necessary elements are microprocessors and computers, diagnostic and information sensors, fine sensitivity devices for detecting earthquakes, snowfalls and other situations. All this in double and sometimes triple redundancy ensures 100% traffic safety.
The main trends in the creation of new types of high-speed electric trains are the maximum lightweight design of cars, reduction of energy consumption due to high aerodynamic performance, the use of microcomputers and microprocessor devices, as well as new, more economical and reliable electrical equipment systems for traction.
Currently, the HSR system has been technically, technologically and economically tested. High-speed highways have been built, are under construction or are being designed in many countries around the world for almost 50 years. The high efficiency of high-speed rail has been proven, and therefore, today any country, if there are the necessary economic conditions for this, can design and build high-speed rail using known technical and technological solutions
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The high-speed train is one of the most popular types transport in China. High speed helps to significantly save travel time between cities. Pricing policy High-speed train fees in China are significantly lower than in other countries. If in 2008 high-speed lines in China accounted for only 6% of trips, then in 2013 - 79%.
Today, high-speed railways have covered the whole of China. The high-speed network in China is the largest in the world and occupies 66.7% of the global high-speed railway network. It covers all major cities, as well as stations in small cities along the route of trains. High-speed railways compete with road transport and air transport, especially over average distances of 300–800 km.
In China, the development of high-speed rail transport is progressing at a rapid pace, despite the lack of payback. High-speed communication helps connect all regions of a huge country with each other in a short time. The construction of high-speed railways helps solve social problems and labor migration problems in China.
This type of transport is popular among travelers who want to visit several large cities at once and save time. For example, you can get from Shanghai to Beijing by high-speed train in just 5 hours with an average speed of 330 km/h.
Photo: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
There is a lot of talk about the safety of expressways in China. “Overseas, the construction of such railways takes a long time, they cannot be used immediately. After laying, they must settle, reach a stable state, and only then can they be used. And in these two years we have been carrying out a real “Great Leap Forward” in the field of high-speed trains. Everything is done in a hurry, the deadlines for work are being reduced, the work is carried out mainly by migrant workers from villages, and here you need to have quite high qualifications,” - Feng Pei'en said earlier.
High speed service
Most often, high-speed rail is used for travel distances of 200–500 km within 2–4 hour accessibility. The speed of modern trains exceeds 350 km/h, and in some sections it can reach 486 km/h, such as on the Beijing-Shanghai highway.
High-speed lines are divided into:
There is usually no freight traffic on high-speed highways. There are isolated cases of transporting light cargo, such as mail and parcels.
The highest speed in the world on rails in 2007 was achieved by a train of the French National Railway. On a demonstration run from Paris to Strasbourg, the train accelerated to 575 km/h. This line provides only daytime passenger train services.
On May 3, China announced the development of a train that can reach a cruising speed of 400 km/h. Trains will operate at this speed on most routes, reaching speeds of up to 470 km/h on some sections. The first such trains will be presented to the public in 2020, according to the China Railway Corporation.
A high-speed train travels in Anshun, southwest China's Guizhou province, 16 March 2017. Photo: STR/AFP/Getty Images
Currently, the cruising speed of trains is generally limited to 350 km/h. The Chinese will achieve an increase in speed, including using lighter materials.
How did high-speed rail traffic develop in the world?
The history of high-speed rail began in the 1970s in Japan, which remained a leader in high-speed lines until the 21st century. The Japanese discovered that when installing a special track and more powerful engines, the train could reach speeds of up to 270 km/h. Thus, on the Tokyo-Osaka line, travel time was reduced from 6 hours 40 minutes to 2 hours 25 minutes. Rail transport, which had already lost its former popularity around the world, has again become competitive.
By the end of the 20th century, the experience of Japan was adopted by 5 more countries: Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Belgium. By the beginning of the 21st century, train speeds had already increased to 380 km/h.
At the beginning of the century, construction of high-speed networks began in China. Despite the fact that China began building high-speed rail lines later than other countries, in just 10 years the country was able to become a world leader. The peak of the development of high-speed lines in China occurred in the period 2010–2012, when the government allocated about $355 billion for the development of railways.
If in 2008 almost all high-speed trains were purchased from Japan, Germany and France, then by 2011 China had already established its own production based on these samples. Now Chinese factories produce hundreds of their trains every year, some of which are exported.
According to China's plans, by 2020 the length of high-speed railway lines in China will reach 30 thousand kilometers, covering all cities with a population of 500 thousand people or more.
The creators of the idea of high-speed construction, the Japanese, gave way to China in the world rankings. By the end of 2016, Japan's share of the global high-speed rail network had fallen from 47% (in 2000) to 8%. In Europe, France was the leader until 2010, and then it was overtaken by Spain, which came close to third place in the world after China and Japan.
China plans to sponsor high-speed roads in Russia
The Russian strategy for the development of high-speed railway communication includes the Moscow-Kazan route, which could later extend to Yekaterinburg, and then through Kazakhstan to Beijing, becoming the new “Silk Road”. The Moscow-Beijing project is designed to be implemented over a period of 8-10 years. From one capital to another, a high-speed train will be able to cover 7 thousand km in 2 days. On Russian territory this road will connect central region, Volga region and Urals.
The first high-speed train "Allegro" in St. Petersburg. Photo: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images
The construction of high-speed lines and all related infrastructure requires huge financial investments. The PRC can provide construction loans to Russia if Chinese technologies are used. China intends to invest more than 400 billion rubles in the project.
The construction of the strategic line “Moscow - Kazan”, with a length of 770 km, according to preliminary estimates, will cost 1.068 trillion rubles. At a maximum speed of up to 400 km/h, travel time should be no more than 3.5 hours. Now this journey by train takes 11.5 hours.
The project is described in the program for the development of high-speed railway communication in Russia until 2020. Construction is expected to begin in 2017, and the first high-speed train should run along the highway in 2020. Operation of the highway is scheduled for 2021. This will be the first specialized railway in Russia to operate trains at speeds from 200 to 400 km/h.
China announced the development of a high-speed train for the Moscow-Kazan route, testing of which is planned for 2018. The train will be designed to operate in temperatures down to -50 degrees Celsius. During testing, the functioning of all elements of the composition at low temperatures will be checked. The train will have 12 cars, designed for 720 passengers. It will move at a speed of 360 km/h.
Experts note that the impact of this project on the country's economy will be enormous. The mobility of the population will increase, connections between regions will be strengthened, existing railway lines will be relieved and the speed of freight trains will increase. Fast and comfortable movement of people will lead to an increase in the quality of life of the population and the development of domestic tourism.
Currently, high-speed trains in Russia operate on three routes: Moscow - St. Petersburg, Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod, St. Petersburg - Helsinki, with a total length of 1,500 km. High speed trains on Russian roads can reach a maximum speed of up to 250 km/h.
Modern high-speed trains in normal operation reach speeds of up to 350-400 km/h, and in tests they can even accelerate to 560-580 km/h. Thanks to the speed of service and high speed of movement, they seriously compete with other types of transport, while maintaining such a property of all trains as low cost of transportation with a large volume of passenger traffic.
The first regular service of high-speed trains began in 1964 in Japan under the Shinkansen project. In 1981, BCHT trains began running in France, and soon most of western Europe, including even the island of Great Britain, became connected by a single high-speed rail network. At the beginning of the 21st century, China became the world leader in the development of a network of high-speed lines, as well as the operator of the first regular high-speed maglev.
Mostly high-speed trains carry passengers, but there are varieties designed to transport goods. Thus, for 30 years, the French service La Poste used special TGV electric trains, which were used to transport mail and parcels (their operation ended in June 2015 due to the reduction in the volume of postal items in recent years).
On average, according to European standards, the construction of 1 km of a high-speed highway costs 20-25 million euros, and its annual maintenance costs 80 thousand euros. The cost of one high-speed train with 350 seats ranges from 20 to 25 million euros, its annual maintenance costs 1 million euros.
Definition [ | ]
Concept High speed ground transportation(and also High speed train) is relatively arbitrary and may differ both by country and by historical period. Thus, back at the beginning of the 20th century, high-speed trains were called trains traveling at speeds above 150-160 km/h. Due to the further increase in train speeds, this level gradually increased. Currently, for example, in Russia and France, (on regular lines) its value is 200 km/h, in Japan, as well as in France (but for specialized lines) - 250 km/h, in the USA - about 190 km/h and so on.
In addition, in many countries such concepts as High speed train And High speed train. Despite the fact that the Soviet/Russian (use) ER200 and ChS200 (locomotive of the Aurora and Nevsky Express trains) reached speeds of 220 km/h on test trips, they are not high-speed, since their maximum operating speed does not exceed 200 km/h.
Scope of application[ | ]
It is more rational to use high-speed ground transport between distant objects, especially when there is a large regular passenger flow, for example, between a city and an airport, in resort areas or between two large cities. This explains the spread of high-speed trains in countries such as Japan, France, Germany and many others, where urban population density is high. The possibility of locating stations in a place convenient for passengers is taken into account, otherwise it will be faster for residents from the suburbs to get to another city by car if the road to the railway station takes too long.
Also, high-speed trains are effective in conditions of high prices for petroleum products, since most of the power for high-speed trains comes from power plants, which can use renewable resources (for example, the energy of falling water).
Story [ | ]
Trains speed up[ | ]
Experimental electric motorboat from Siemens & Halske, 1903
Soon after the opening of the first public railways, the public greatly appreciated the potential of trains as a fast means of transport. Thus, at the Reinhill competitions held in 1829, the steam locomotive “Rocket” reached a speed of 38.6 km/h (according to other sources - 46.7 km/h), which at that time was a world speed record. Subsequently, the maximum speeds of trains continued to increase, and in September 1839, the Hurricane steam locomotive on the Great Western road (Great Britain) crossed the speed limit of 160.9 km/h. On May 10, 1893, high-speed steam locomotive No. 999.
The speed limit of 200 km/h was overcome on October 6, 1903 (a month before the first flight of the aircraft) on the test line Marienfelde - Zossen (a suburb of Berlin) by an experimental electric car created by the company Siemens & Halske, showed a record speed of 206 km/h. At the end of the same month (October 28) another electric car from the company AEG showed a speed of 210.2 km/h.
The first high-speed lines[ | ]
Despite numerous projects in European countries, the first public high-speed rail appeared on the other side of the continent - in Japan. In this country, in the mid-1950s, the transport situation along the eastern coast of the island of Honshu sharply worsened, which was associated with the high intensity of passenger traffic between largest cities countries, especially between Tokyo and Osaka. Using mainly foreign experience (especially American), the Japanese Railways Administration quite quickly (1956-1958) created a high-speed railway project between these two cities. Construction of the road began on April 20, 1959, and on October 1, 1964, the world's first high-speed railway was put into operation. It was given the name “Tokaido”, the length of the route was 515.4 km, and the maximum permissible train speed was 210 km/h. The road quickly gained popularity among the population, as evidenced, for example, by the increase in the volume of passenger traffic carried out on the line:
- from October 1, 1964 to March 31, 1965 - 11 million passengers;
- from April 1, 1966 to March 31, 1967 - 43.8 million passengers;
- from April 1, 1971 to March 31, 1972 - 85.4 million passengers.
Already in 1967, the road began to make a profit, and by 1971 it had fully recouped its construction costs.
HSRs are united into a network[ | ]
To test the feasibility of implementing this idea, a working group was formed from specialists from the International Union of Railways and, in 1989, developed the “Proposals for a European High-Speed Rail Network”, on the basis of which the EU Council of Ministers formed working group called the High Level Group (also known as the High Speed Group). IN this group included representatives of EU member states, railway companies, enterprises producing railway equipment, as well as a number of other interested companies. On 17 December 1990, the Council of Ministers of the EU approved the report “European High-Speed Train Network” developed by the Group and the accompanying master plan for the development of high-speed railways in Europe until 2010.
Technologies [ | ]
For the most part, the technologies used at VSNT are similar to standard railway transport technologies. The differences are primarily due to the high speed of movement, which entails an increase in such parameters as centrifugal forces (occur when a train passes curved sections of the track, which can cause a state of discomfort among passengers) and movement resistance. In general, the increase in train speed is limited by the following factors:
To improve aerodynamic indicators, the trains have a streamlined front part and a minimum number of protruding parts, and the protruding parts (for example, pantographs) are equipped with special streamlined casings. Additionally, the undercar equipment is covered with special shields. Due to the use of such constructive measures, the noise level is also reduced, that is, the train becomes less noisy.
Mechanical resistance mainly consists of wheel-rail interaction, that is, to reduce resistance it is necessary to reduce the deflection of the rails. To do this, first of all, the railway track is strengthened, for which heavy types of rails, reinforced concrete sleepers, and crushed stone ballast are used. The loads from the wheels on the rails are also reduced, for which purpose aluminum alloys and plastic are used in the materials of the car bodies.
As one of the alternative possibilities for high-speed rail traffic and for testing high speeds on railway tracks, in the 1930s in Germany (Rail Zeppelin), in the 1960s in the USA (M-497) and in the 1970s in the USSR ( High-speed car-laboratory) tested prototypes of trains that did not have motor traction for bogies of wheel sets and were driven by turboprop and turbojet engines.
Also, in order to completely get rid of wheel friction, that is, to make the train hang above the tracks (non-rail guides or canvas), hovercraft trains with turboprop and turbojet engines (French, etc.) were developed, which were not widely used, as well as trains with magnetic levitation (maglev) with linear traction electric motors and superconductors, which have become somewhat widespread in the world.
To ensure high output power the train must be very powerful. This explains that almost all high-speed trains (with only rare exceptions) are electric rolling stock (electric locomotives, electric trains). The traction motors on first generation trains were DC commutator motors. The power of such an engine is limited primarily by the commutator-brush assembly (which is also unreliable), so brushless traction electric motors began to be used on trains of subsequent generations: synchronous (valve) and asynchronous. Such motors have much higher power, so, for comparison: the power of the DC traction motor of the TGV-PSE electric train (1st generation) is 538 kW, and the power of the synchronous traction motor of the TGV-A electric train (2nd generation) is 1100 kW.
To brake high-speed trains, electric braking is used primarily, regenerative braking is used at high speeds, and rheostatic braking is used at low speeds. However, modern ones (for example, used on 4th generation EPS) make it possible to use regenerative braking in almost the entire speed range on rolling stock with brushless electric motors.
VSNT and other types of transport[ | ]
VSNT and aviation [ | ]
Comparison of total travel time by train (red lines) and plane (blue line)
At the beginning of 2011, high-speed trains had not yet reached the speeds of passenger jet aircraft - 900-950 km/h. From this we can conclude that you can get from city to city by plane faster than by train. However, here the fact comes into force that most airports are located far from city centers (due to extensive infrastructure and high noise from aircraft), and the journey to them can take considerable time. In addition, registration before landing takes quite a long time (about 1 hour), as well as overhead costs for takeoff and landing. In turn, high-speed trains can depart from the city's central stations, and the time from purchasing a ticket to the departure of the train can take about 15 minutes. Thus, this time difference allows trains to have some advantage over airplanes. The figure shows graphs of the approximate travel time by train and plane, taking into account the time to travel to the station or airport and check-in. Based on it, you can see that up to a certain distance total time travel by train will be shorter than by plane.
Replacing air traffic between cities with VSNT, first of all, allows you to free up a significant number of aircraft, which saves on expensive aviation fuel, and also allows you to relieve airports. The latter makes it possible to increase the number of long-distance flights, including intercontinental ones. It is worth noting that already with the launch of the first high-speed trains, there was a significant outflow of passenger traffic from domestic aviation to the high-speed train, which is why airlines were forced to either reduce the number of such flights or attract passengers by reducing ticket prices and speeding up service. The safety factor also played a significant role here - in February-March 1966, a series of major plane crashes occurred in Japan (February 4, March 4, March 5), which caused an erosion of confidence in aviation.
High-speed ground transportation by country[ | ]
See also [ | ]
Notes [ | ]
- Rail transport: Encyclopedia / Ch. ed.
Russian Railways plan to create a high-speed magnetic levitation train in Russia by 2030, which will match the speed characteristics of airplanes. The first generations of such trains have been running around the world for a long time, and projects similar to the Russian one are being developed by a number of other countries. We can only hope that this technological innovation will be frozen at the project stage.
In mid-June, the president of the Russian railway monopoly Russian Railways, Vladimir Yakunin, could leave his post. Another three-year contract for an official who was at one time predicted to achieve incredible career heights in Russian politics, expires. But it is already known that Yakunin will not leave his post: the reform of Russian Railways is not yet completed, so the Russian authorities decided not to change the president of the company. This also means that Russian Railways will continue its project to organize high-speed traffic in Russia.
The management of Russian Railways is full of ambitions. In 2018, the monopoly will launch the first truly high-speed train in Russia on the route Moscow - St. Petersburg (VSZhM-1, 660 kilometers). "High-speed Highways" Guide, subsidiary company Russian Railways and the private Transmashholding, which is developing the project, promise that the total length of high-speed lines in the coming years will exceed 3 thousand kilometers.
It is quite difficult to say when exactly this technological miracle will overtake Russia, because so far not a single kilometer of high-speed lines have been built in our country. So far, Russian Railways can only boast of high-speed routes (Sapsan-type trains). The Strategy for the Development of Railway Transport until 2030 envisaged the construction of a high-speed railway, but all projects were actually frozen. In 2010, the Russian President ordered to accelerate the construction of high-speed lines, but the maximum acceleration that this initiative can generate is 2,178 kilometers of high-speed lines and seventh place in the world by this indicator in 2025.
Russian Railways also has much more extravagant projects than the organization of new types of high-speed ground transport of the “wheel-rail” system. The implementation of a whole set of measures within the framework of the technological platform "High-speed intelligent railway transport" in the medium term, according to Russian Railways, will make it possible to ensure train speeds of up to 400 kilometers per hour (the VSZhM-1 line will be used as a pilot), and in the long term - to create "absolutely new look transport" based on the principles of magnetic levitation, with speeds of up to 1000 kilometers per hour. This is almost three times greater than the maximum permissible operating speed of high-speed passenger trains with wheeled rolling stock (350 kilometers per hour).
This project, as it turned out on June 7, is not a fiction. The head of the Center for Innovative Development of Russian Railways, Alexander Korchagin, claims that the Russian concern, the German corporation Siemens and a number of Korean companies plan to create a high-speed magnetic levitation train - the so-called maglev (magnetic levitation) - by 2030. According to him, the implementation of the project will depend on the amount of funding. Now Russian Railways, according to preliminary data, plans to allocate 500 million rubles for R&D on this project over the course of three years.
Technology on the verge of common sense
From a technology point of view, maglev trains are certainly an innovative system. Maglev, unlike traditional trains, does not touch the surface of the rail while moving. Theoretically, the speed of such transport, due to the lack of friction, can be comparable to the speed of an airplane (at at the moment the record belongs to Japanese trains - 581 kilometers per hour). In total, two magnetic levitation systems are now implemented in practice.
The first is EMS, an electromagnetic suspension system. It allows trains to levitate using an electromagnetic field with a time-varying force. The practical implementation of the system usually consists of tracks made of conductor (for example, familiar railway rails), as well as a system of electromagnets installed on the train. The main disadvantage of the system is its instability: fluctuations in the magnetic field must be constantly monitored and adjusted depending on many factors. In this case, we are talking not only about the train itself (the speed of the train matters for vibrations), but also about the tracks - for example, corrections to the vibrations can be made due to vibrations of these very tracks.
The second system is EDS, that is, an electrodynamic suspension system. IN in this case levitation is carried out due to the interaction of the changing magnetic field in the tracks and the field created by magnets on board the train. In practice, the field above the road is created by special magnets. The main disadvantage of such a system is that in order to generate a sufficiently large repulsive force (sufficient, for example, to hold a train aloft), high speed is required, so such trains need wheels. For example, the Japanese JR-Maglev uses wheels at low speeds (up to 150 kilometers per hour).
In addition to the systems implemented in practice, there are several more that currently exist only in theory. The closest to implementation is the Inductrack permanent magnet system. To be precise, this is a variant of EDS in which the field above the road is created by currents induced by the magnetic field of the composition in the conductors. Practical tests show that such systems begin to lift a train at speeds above 30-35 kilometers per hour, and in theory they can operate at speeds of 5-6 kilometers per hour.
Racing with wheelsets
It turns out that Russian Railways will not be able to create any “completely new type of transport” - the development of magnetic levitation trains has been going on around the world for more than half a century. Railway workers compete on these roads not with each other, but with airlines, whose planes on short sections of the route (up to 700 kilometers) turn out to be less comfortable transport than high-speed trains. So, three hours on a high-speed train is essentially equal to the time it would take you to fly the same distance for one hour (this includes getting to the airport, plus formalities and baggage handling).
As a result, over 30 years in France, for example, more than ten modifications of high-speed trains were created. But in order to compete with aviation on longer routes (say, up to 1000 kilometers), we need even more fast trains. They will allow you to pick up new passengers from flights. That's why maglevs were needed.
However, economic feasibility does not always allow increasing speed without regard to expenses. Faster wheeled trains require more expensive and expensive engines, as well as special tracks. In the whole world there are only two paid high speed lines: Japanese (from Tokyo to Osaka) and French (from Paris to Lyon).
In January 2011, it became known that China was working on creating its own model of a maglev train, which could reach speeds of 600 to 1,200 kilometers per hour. Such trains can be put into operation only by 2030 (like Russian Railways), but Chinese scientists themselves admit that the likelihood that such maglevs will be built is extremely low. The cost of the vacuum pipes that would need to be built for such a train would, in their opinion, be astronomical, which would destroy all the advantages of the new trains, the main one being more economical fuel consumption.
In China, unlike Russian Railways engineers, they know what they are talking about. The PRC is developing high-speed communications at a gigantic pace, so it is not surprising that in the early 2000s, it was here that the German Transrapid (a consortium of Siemens and ThyssenKrupp) put into commercial operation a section of the magnetic road (30 kilometers) connecting the city with the airport. The maglevs covered this route in eight minutes (now the travel time has increased, since the maximum speed (430 km/h) has been reduced for safety reasons). So far, this project has not been able to pay off, and high-speed rail for wheeled trains in China is currently being built several times more.
The development of the railway system in China is driven primarily by economic nationalism and an attempt (successful, by the way) to prove to the whole world that China is capable of producing and applying innovative technologies in transport no worse, and perhaps better, than Western countries. In Germany, which has an excellent high-speed rail network, it was decided to abandon the development of maglev trains on long routes. It is possible, however, that maglev trains will become more widespread in countries where the existing road network is less efficient than in Germany. For example, in the USA and Great Britain.
External effects
High-speed communication, which is now developing at a gigantic pace in China, has a whole series external effects that have both a positive and negative impact on the development of the country’s economy.
High-speed trains, if they spread over a certain territory, can reduce space, turning urban agglomerations into single economic areas. According to calculations by the British UK Ultraspeed, maglevs can show the greatest efficiency at distances of 240-800 kilometers. In addition, these trains are a much more environmentally friendly mode of transport than airplanes, and the safety of this type of transport, which does not come into contact with the tracks, is higher than that of other trains. They also make virtually no noise.
However, the prospects for maglevs are unclear, because even in China, which has planned to spend more than $300 billion on the construction of high-speed rail in ten years (and double its high-speed rail network by 2020), they are constantly arguing about the feasibility of such a decision.
Peculiarities political system(a similar thing, by the way, the Russian authorities can do) allows Beijing to spend money on high-speed transport, without taking into account that the 250 million migrant workers moving around the country cannot afford a trip on a magnetic levitation train. Many high-speed lines that carry wheeled trains are now starved of customers, and almost all are operating at a loss. After the PRC authorities learned, for example, how much it would cost to operate the Maglev line from Shanghai to the airport, the project to build an extension of this road to Guangzhou was postponed (however, it is possible that the project was postponed due to protests from residents living along the future highways).
Initially, it was assumed that transferring passengers to high-speed highways would relieve congestion on conventional roads, which currently transport more than 60 percent of fuel in China. Officials in the PRC pointed out that energy traffic creates incredible traffic jams on Chinese roads surrounding the country's largest economic centers. However, this argument, which, by the way, the Chinese authorities put forward as the main one when launching the high-speed railway construction program, is now most strongly criticized by economists. They point out that the Chinese poor have not taken any high-speed trains, preferring cheap buses instead. As a result, traffic jams on Chinese roads have become even worse.
But even the economically senseless construction of such roads now allows the Chinese authorities to create jobs and later export their technologies abroad. For example, in the USA, where Japan is now also trying to break through with its version of maglevs. In addition, Chinese trains have long been a symbol of China's modernization, and the country's authorities are looking to a future where every Chinese can afford to travel on such a train. Theoretically.