Fastest Trains in the World 2012

Trains have undergone tremendous changes ever since they were first introduced in 1798. Steam engines have been replaced with electric ones and trains these days are much faster than their predecessors. Trains are meant for speedy transport and the below given trains have breached previous speed boundaries and scaled hew heights. With these high speed trains, the 310 mile stretch between Paris and Brussels can be traversed in less than an hour. How is that for speed! Read on below to know about the top 10 fastest trains in the world.

10. Belgium’s HSL-1

In the tenth spot is HSL-1 from Belgium. Launched in 1997, the HSL runs at a top speed of 186 mph. The total infrastructure of the railway line was built at a cost of €1.42 billion. The train runs on 25kV – 50 Hz power line. With its stupendous speed, the train can travel between Brussels and Paris is about ninety minutes.

9. The Italian ETR 500

ETR or Elettero Treno Rapido is an Italian rail with a top speed of 190 mph. The train has been operational since 1993. It runs on 3 kV DC and 25 kV 50 Hz Ac power. The name of the train translates to Rapid Electric Train. With its speed, the train covers the distance between Bologna and Milan is just an hour. Next generation of these trains are under development and they are likely to breach the 300 mph mark.

8. European Eurostar

In the eight spot, with a speed of 199 mph, the Eurostar runs between London and Paris. The train travels through Channel Tunnel and reaches its top speed during this stretch of the journey. The train, which runs on 25 kV 50 Hz power has been built to carry nine hundred passengers.

7. Spanish AVE Talgo-350

AVE Talgo-350, which travels between the Spanish cities of Madrid and Barcelona and Madrid and Valladolid, breaches the 200 mph mark by running at 205 mph. The train runs on 25kV 50 Hz power. With the speed at which this train travels, the 617.5 kilometer stretch between Madrid and Barcelona can be covered in less than three hours. In the normal trains, it takes about five to six hours to travel the distance.

6. Taiwanese THSR 700T

The Taiwanese thunder train, THSR 700T runs at a speed of 208 mph. THSR stands for Taiwanese High Speed Rail. The train transports nearly one thousand people. The train runs on 25 kV 60 Hz AC power. The good thing about this train, apart from its speed, is that it is very fuel efficient. Per capita consumption of energy for the train when fully loaded is 16 percent of energy consumed per person in cars and fifty percent of per capita energy consumption of buses. Emissions from the trains are also very low.

5. South Korean KTX 2

The South Korean train, KTX 2 travels at a speed of 219 mph. However, when compared to the other high speed trains, this train has a low capacity. It can carry only three hundred and sixty travelers. The speed is stupendous but for various causes of security, the speed is limited to 190 mph. The train became operational in 2009. It was built by Hyundai Rotem and KOrail operates it.

4. French TGV Réseau

TGV Réseau can reach a speed of 236.12 mph. However, like the South Koreans, the French consider safety first and limit the speed to 199 mph, which is still huge. The train runs on 25 kV AC and 1500 V DC power. This train is also small and can carry only three seventy seven people at a time.

3. Japanese Shinkansen

Shinkansen was one of the first high speed trains in the world. Operational since 1964, this train can reach a top speed of 275.2 mph. The train runs on 25 kV AC power. The Shinkansen is famous for its unique shape. The face of the train looks like a duck billed platypus. In fact, the train has been nicked named duck billed platypus. It is because of the shape of the nose that the train can reach such high speeds.

2. The German Transrapid TR-09

Transrapid TR-09 is a train which operates in Germany. It has a top speed of 279 mph. The train runs on a technology called mag-lev (magnetic levitation) which uses magnetic power on keep the train on the monorail. The train runs on 50 – 100 kW power.

 1. Chinese CRH380A

Chinese were the first ones in the world to build a train which travels at more than 300 mph. the train, numbered CRH380A travels at a top speed of 302.8 mph and runs on 25kV power. It travels between Shanghai and Hangzhou and between Shanghai and Nanjing. The train has a passenger capacity of four hundred and ninety four. The train is the fastest in the world. It is also the only way in which a person can travel the fastest on land.