Fast Trains

[sarongsong]

Electric:
September 5, 2006
An Austrian Railways train...reached 357 kilometres per hour (222 mph)...the Siemens (http://www.transportation.siemens.com/ts/en/pub/newsline/newsline/press_2006/2006/04_09_2006.htm)-developed Eurosprinter... M&C News (http://news.monstersandcritics.com/europe/article_1197315.php/Electric_locomotive_breaks_world_speed_record_twic e)MagLev:...Japan introduced the shinkansen Bullet Train on 1 October 1964 to mark Asia's first Olympic Games, held in Tokyo. The Bullet Train proved that there is not only fascination, but also a market for fast trains.

In the early 70s, the French built the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse)...
The German ICE3, built by Siemens, reaches 330 km/h (206 mph)...
The Eurostar comfortably hurls 700 passengers along at 300 km/h (188 mph)...
the Spanish Talgo...350 km/h (218 mph)...
In Australia, the Speedrail TGV...up to 360 km/h (225mph) in 2004...
In the US, the Acela will fly down the tracks at 320 km/h (200 mph)...
China is planning a new high speed rail...between Beijing and Shanghai.
High speed trains also run in Britain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Taiwan and South Korea...
Japan is best known for its superfast trains, holding the speed [record] at 552 km/h (345 mph)... DidYouKnow (http://www.didyouknow.org/whatsnew/trains.htm)

[Sammy]

Electric:
MagLev:

The last link is way out of date. Acela has been running (more or less) for several years. The units have been taken out of service for lengthy periods to rework major flaw in the brakes and suspension system. It has a max speed of 150 mph (not 200) and can do that only on a short length of track in New England; most of the time it operates at 80-120 mph due to track limitations (i.e., rough track, tight curves).

Maglev is, IMO, a hi-tech solution in search of a problem. It is very expensive, and just doesn't make sense for most operations when compared to steel -on-steel systems. In the cases where it might make sense (hi density long haul), it does not compete well with air transport.

[Donnie B.]

The last link is way out of date. Acela has been running (more or less) for several years. The units have been taken out of service for lengthy periods to rework major flaw in the brakes and suspension system. It has a max speed of 150 mph (not 200) and can do that only on a short length of track in New England; most of the time it operates at 80-120 mph due to track limitations (i.e., rough track, tight curves).Despite its limitations, though, Acela is a great way to travel the Boston/NY corridor. Totally beats air travel and driving.

[antoniseb]

I haven't tried Acela yet because it seemed too pricey.

[Ronald Brak]

Maglev is, IMO, a hi-tech solution in search of a problem. It is very expensive, and just doesn't make sense for most operations when compared to steel -on-steel systems. In the cases where it might make sense (hi density long haul), it does not compete well with air transport.

I believe in Japan engineers stuck wings and plane engines on a train and got the benefit of magnetic levitation without magnetic levitation.

[mugaliens]

Financially speaking, air travel is cheaper over longer distances than rail. Don't know exactly where the break-even point is, just that it's around 200 to 500 miles.