Surveying the World's Fastest Trains, and a Possible New Entry to the List

The Telegraph compiles a list of the fastest train trips in the world, from the 90 minute journey from Brussels to Paris at 186 miles per hour to Shanghai's 268 mile per hour maglev train. A new service is poised to join them.

1 minute read

June 16, 2013, 1:00 PM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


Shanghai Maglev

Lars Plougmann / flickr

If you're looking for the fastest train ride in the world, just book at trip from Shanghai's airport to the city's metro system. Aboard the world's first commercially used maglev (magnetic levitation) train you can reach top speeds of 269 miles per hour during the 20-mile trip. The fastest high-speed rail ride appears to be on China's CRH3C trains, which run from Beijing to Tianjin at a top speed of 205 miles per hour.

Poised to join them is Japan's "super-fast" maglev train that will travel at more than 300 miles per hour. "The public got a glimpse of the new L0 series magnetic levitation train, called 'Linear motor car' in Japan, on June 3 when JR Tokai displayed for the first time a linked-up prototype of five cars," reports Yu Okuma. "Passengers can expect to readily take a train like the one displayed at the test center in 2027, allowing them to travel between Tokyo and Nagoya in about 40 minutes instead of the current 100 minutes."

  

Wednesday, June 5, 2013 in The Telegraph

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