High Speed Trains - How many over 300kph?

Trains Magazine Passenger
1

Can anyone advise which railways operate timetabled HSR passenger services at 300 kph or higher service speeds. I am interested in both the conventional heavy rail and maglev services.

I know of the Shinkansen services in Japan (JR) and Taiwan (THSRC). Also of the Shanghai ‘Maglev’ but am not sure of the speeds of the european railway TGV services or if Australia or the Americas have any such HSR services.

Best regards,

Phil (19511105).

2

Australia has high speed rail services in Queensland, but they are based on normal rail corridors, not dedicated to high speed. Really it is just a tilt train on normal tracks. Not sure of the timetabled speed of it though, but it can reach over 200kph.

The regular TGV’s in France see speeds of around the 300 - 320 kph in regular services, and i think have been up to just over 500kph in tests? Someone will be able to set me right on that one though!

3

Thanks for the information. I have read of the TGV test run that achieved over 500 kph just a couple of months ago. That was a special short TGV trainset and not in passenger service. I will post any other details that are sent to me.

Best regards,

Phil.

4

Both the French TGV and German ICE3 sets have some running at 320kph and 300 kph, in daily service. Of course there are sections where speed limits are lower. The Belgians, Dutch, Spanish, and Italians, will have some sections of 300 kph soon. The Spanish and Italians are doing test runs now. The Belgians and Dutch will have their high speed lines done within the next year.

5

France has operated 300 km/h (186 mph) high-speed rail service ever since the TGV Sud-Est opened way back in 1981. The Turbo TGV (or TGV 001) hit 318 km/h (192 mph) during tests back in 1972. Current record for the test electric TGV is 574.8 km/h (357 mph).

First trainset to operate at 300 km/h on the Shinkansen network was the 500-series, on the Sanyo Shinkansen.

Germany’s ICE 3 and ICE 3M have top speeds of 330 km/h and 350 km/h respectively. They are limited to 300 km/h at present, and are the first trainsets in Germany to achieve that speed.

AVE Madrid-Lleida (Barcelona) started operating trains at 300 km/h this year. The goal is to reach 350 km/h.

In Britain, the first segment of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) opened in 2003, permitting 300-km/h rail operation for the first time on the soil of the land where powered rail transportation had its genesis.

Korea Train eXpress has been operating at 300 km/h since it opened in 2004.

Italy has the ETR 500 for operation on its TAV corridors (the service is called “Eurostar Italia”). No 300 km/h operation until the Rome-Naples TAV opens, however.

6

Minor point, when opened, the LGV Sud-Est was limited to 270kph in service due to limitations of the TVM-300 ATC system. With the development of the Improved TVM-430 ATC system, the LGV Sud-Est was reequipped with the new system allowing the full 300kph designed speed to be achieved. Also one section of the LGV Sud-Est has the latest version of TVM-430 installed to allow French Engineers to study operation at 320kph in regular service, before the completion of the LGV Est.

7

Thanks for the interesting replies. I note the comment “LGV Sud-Est has the latest version of TVM-430 installed to allow French Engineers to study operation at 320kph in regular service, before the completion of the LGV Est”. Can I understand that there is a section where 320kph is scheduled and achieved in regular HSR service? If so that appears to be the fastest conventional heavy rail HSR service in the world currently.

Best regards,

Phil (19511105).

8

Spain is planning to go up to 350 kph on the new line between Madrid and Barcelona. The will use the Valero E, a derivate of the ICE 3.
It will be fastest scheduled rail service on “traditional” rails (no maglev).

9

The recently completed section of the LGV Est in France sees regularly scheduled 320 km/h ( and achieved ) HSR by French TGVs and German ICEs.

10

The sum of all “lies” ist the truth… will say everybody contributed some piece of true information but sometimes with some minor glitch…

  • Spain runs its AVE between Seville and Madrid since 1992 at 300km/h
  • the first TGV in France was limited to 260km/h which where later increased to 270km/h
    With the opening of the atlantique service the speed was 300km/h
    since June TGV and german ICE run on the new TGV EAST line at 320km/h
  • the new line from Madrid to Barcelona started with 200km/h and now the speed is for AVE trains 300kmh
  • for the new Velaro the speed will be eventually 350km/h which would be the fastest passeger service in the world.
  • German ICE 3 runs between Cologne and Frankfurt at 300 km/h same also between Nuremberg and Ingolstadt.

did I forgot something?? maybe, see the first sentence…

see here some inside views of German ICE train