The World's 5 Fastest Trains You Can Ride RIght Now

On Aug. 24, the applications for rail stimulus were due—and now the states that applied are waiting on the Federal Railroad Administration's picks for approved projects. While the $13 billion in stimulus will not make the U.S. a train-commuting country overnight, and may, in fact, make some states unhappy (in July, 40 states preapplied, seeking $102 billion in aid for high-speed rail projects, nearly 10 times what is actually being doled out by the federal government), it is a start for high-speed rail. Here, we take a look at the five fastest trains in the world—inspirations in design and technology for the future of high speed in the U.S.

By Allie Haake

Trains are en vogue again in the United States. State governments are lining up for federal stimulus money to fix existing routes and develop high-speed passenger rail lines; by Aug. 24, the last day to submit most applications, 40 states had requested a piece of the $13 billion for new rail projects. The Federal Railroad Administration will award grants to the approved applications beginning in late September or early October. California wants to be the American trailblazer for renewed rail travel, and, last week, submitted 42 applications, worth $1.1 billion. And the state wants more than just additional trains—it wants them to go faster. "We're the only major industrial nation on earth that doesn't have [a high-speed rail network]," Tony Daniels, the California High-Speed Rail Authority's program director, tells PM. "Now is the time for us to step up to the plate, to belong to the world that has high-speed trains." Until this country transitions to more Acela-style trains (maxing out at 150 mph), the next step—to truly high-speed rail travel—can only be found elsewhere in the world. Here, we outline the five fastest trains—inspiring design and technology for rail's future in the U.S.

Shanghai Maglev

The Specs
Location /// China; shuttles between the Longyang Road Station in the Pudong district of Shanghai to the Shanghai Pudong International Airport Longest Run /// 19 miles	Top Speed During Commercial Transit /// 268 mph Top Speed Recorded /// 311 mph
The Tech
The Shanghai airport-to-suburb maglev is the first and fastest commercial high-speed maglev in the world. Unlike standard wheel-to-rail trains, maglev trains are repelled 1 mm to 10 mm away from the track by a magnetized coil within the track, called a guideway. Maglev trains gain high speeds quickly and lack troublesome moving parts, such as wheels, transmissions, brakes and axles. Skeptics of the system argue that the magnetically charged train is costly to build and has no guarantee to work well over long distances.

Alta Velocidad Espanola (AVE)

The Specs
Location /// Spain; connects four major cities: Madrid, Seville, Malaga and Barcelona Longest Run /// 410 miles	Top Speed During Commercial Transit /// 210 mph Top Speed Recorded /// 227 mph
The Tech
Now spreading across much of the country, the AVE links several major cities in Spain with high-speed rail. The first commercial line of the AVE system started service in 1992, built to accommodate travel during that year's Expo World Fair. Now, the same line traverses the 293 miles between Madrid and Seville at speeds up to 186 mph, cutting almost one hour off the previous commute time. Branching out north and south from Madrid, the AVE uses standard 1435-mm-gauge tracks instead of the 1668-mm rail gauge that Spain used almost exclusively prior to the AVE. The system also runs on the more mainstream 25-kilovolt AC, as opposed to the domestic 3-kilovolt DC. By designing the railway to run on the same gauge lines and voltage as most of Europe and the United States, among other countries, Spain has indicated its intent to connect with railways from other countries. One of several projects in the works to expand the AVE to other countries is construction on a 28-mile line under the Pyrenees mountain range connecting Figueras, Spain, to Perpignan, France, standing as the second privately financed international rail link in the world (after the Channel Tunnel).

Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway

The Specs
Location /// China; Beijing to Tianjin Longest Run /// 71 miles	Top Speed During Commercial Transit /// 217 mph Top Speed Recorded /// 245 mph
The Tech
Beginning service in 2008, the line connecting Beijing and Tianjin is one of the world's fastest conventional trains. The intercity line, topping out at 217 mph, runs elevated on viaduct for 62 miles and makes stops at Beijing, Yizhuang, Wuqing and Tianjin. The train features a ballastless track system, with its rails supported on a continuous slab of concrete, making the base for the track stronger and requiring less maintenance than traditional track. The high-speed rail has changed the Beijing-to-Tianjin commute from 70 minutes to 30 minutes and, in its first year, the line has transported 18.7 million passengers.

Train a Grande Vitesse (TGV)

The Specs
Location /// France; train branches out from the main hub of Paris to more than 200 cities in France, including Avignon, Dijon, Lyon and Nice. Longest Run /// 538 miles	Top Speed During Commercial Transit /// 217 mph Top Speed Recorded /// 356 mph
The Tech
This line first connected Paris to Lyon in 1981, and since then, the TGV system has expanded rapidly, connecting the capital city to many cities across France and in adjacent countries. Holding the record as the fastest scheduled rail journey at an average speed of 174 mph, the TGV Paris-to-Marseille run is completed in 3 hours. Each train, running on a dual-voltage system, allows for the use of the mainstream 25-kilovolt AC and also the domestic 1.5-kilovolt DC system. The high-power capabilities have prepared the system to act as a primary force in connecting countries within Europe. And, to alert operators to the possibility of any unsafe levels of electrical interference during the operation of the high-speed trains, France has outfitted the TGV with interference-current-monitoring units.

Nozomi Shinkansen

The Specs
Location /// Japan; the Tokaido-Sanyo Shankansen line from Tokyo to Hakata Longest Run /// 664 miles	Top Speed During Commercial Transit /// 186 mph Top Speed Recorded /// NA*
The Tech
The fastest line of the Shinkansen system, the Nozomi train travels the 320-mile distance from Tokyo to Osaka in less than 2.5 hours. This speed has increased significantly since the bullet train was first inaugurated in Japan in 1964, when this distance took a little over3 hours. The Nozomi cars are equipped with lightweight technology: a tilting system that uses lightweight air springs to lift one side of the car during a curve in the track. Advanced construction and materials—strong and unbreakable polycarbonate windows with reduced window-to-body edge and a scratch-resistant coating—add significant speed and durability to the cars.

*Both the German InterCityExpress (ICE) and the Nozomi Shinkansen, reach normal running speeds of 186 mph, but, in trial runs, the Nozomi's network wins. The ICE has reached speeds of 229 mph. While the top speed recorded for the Nozomi Shankansen, the fastest line on the network, was not available, trains on the same network have topped speeds of 275 mph.