When it comes to pace, people often prefer airplanes. But flights are not always feasible. It is expensive, not everybody can afford it. The time saved in the journey is often compensated at the airports. They are usually located at the outskirts of the area. It takes time to reach them and often we have to reach two to three hours before the flight timings. With time trains have become faster and more efficient. Stations are located in cities and are easier to reach. No eyes can skip those beautiful sceneries that accompany us outside the window. Our continent along with Europe are known for their high-speed train infrastructure. These trains don’t max out at 100 or even 200 mph; they travel at speeds of up to 374 mph during testing.
1.Shanghai Maglev
With maximum operational speed of 430Km/h and average speed of 251Kmph Shanghai Maglev tops the list of the fastest trains. The Maglev started commercial operations in April 2004. It runs on the 30.5km Shanghai Maglev Line, which is the first commercially operated high-speed magnetic levitation line, extending from Longyang Road Station of Metro Line 2 and ending at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. Shanghai Maglev is owned and operated by Shanghai Maglev Transportation Development Co. (SMTDC). The train was constructed by a joint venture of Siemens and ThyssenKrupp.
2.Harmony CRH 380A
The CRH 380A was put into operation in October 2010. It operates from Beijing to Shanghai and provides daily service along Wuhan to Guangzhou route. It has a maximum speed of 380Kmph. CRH380A is one of four Chinese train series which have been designed for the new standard operating speed of 380 km/h (236 mph) on newly constructed Chinese high-speed main lines. Officially, it is the only series of the four not based on a foreign design, and although it was not produced under a technology transfer agreement, there have been accusations that it is based on unlicensed Shinkansen technology. The other three series are CRH380B, which uses technology from Siemens, CRH380C, with technology from Hitachi, and CRH380D, with technology from Bombardier Transportation.
3.AGV Italo
Considered to be the most modern train in Europe, AGV Italo was built by Alstom. The train currently runs on the Napoli – Roma – Firenze – Bologna – Milano corridor. AGV Italo is the first train in the AGV Series which entered into service in April 2012. It has a maximum operational speed of 360kmph. The train is fitted with traction system that broke a record speed of 574.8kmph in April 2007. The train complies with the European TSI interoperability standard, which includes safety, reliability, availability, health, environmental protection and technical compatibility. The advantages of the AGV are: increased seating area per train length; safety and maintenance advantages of the Jacobs bogie articulation design as well as higher energy efficiency from permanent-magnet synchronous motors.
4.Siemens Velaro E/ AVS 103
The train was ordered by Spanish National Railways Renfe, and operates on the Barcelona-Madrid line. It was delivered in July 2005 and began operations in June 2007. The design of the multiple-unit train was founded on the latest developments of the successful ICE 3 trainset designed for Deutsche Bahn. Th train has working speed of 350kmp. In July 2006, a Siemens Velaro train-set reached 403.7 km/h, which was the world record for railed and unmodified commercial service trainsets. Since December, 2013, latest generation of the train runs in Germany, its home country.
5.Talgo 350 (T350)
T350 was developed by Patentes Talgo and manufactured by Patentes Talgo in collaboration with Bombardier Transportation. Commonly known as El Pato, the train has been operating on the Madrid-Zaragoza-Lleida section of the Madrid-Barcelona line in Spain since 2005. There are currently more than 46 operating trains of the series in the country. Talgo 350, which initially entered service with the name RENFE AVE Class 10, achieved a maximum speed of 365kmph during its trial run. The train has a maximum operational speed of 350kmph. The T350 train set is designed to be optimally aerodynamic to handle air pressure and air currents at high speeds. It has a high level of redundancy in traction between rail and auxiliary systems.
6.E5 Series Shinkansen Hayabusa
E5 Series Shinkansen Hayabusa is the fastest in Japan which trial speed of 400Kmph. It was manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industry and Hitachi. E5 Series Shinkansen Hayabusa trains, which entered service in March 2011, with an initial maximum speed of 300km now run on the Tohoku Shinkansen Line with a maximum operating speed of 320kmph. A total of 59, 10-car sets are on order, with three sets in service in time for the start of new Hayabusa services to Shin-Aomori in March 2011. The train features full active suspension (FSA) system, which reduces the vibration of the moving bogies, and a 15m long nose which reduces the sound blast in tunnels.
7.Alstom Euroduplex
Alstom built Euroduplex is the third generation of TGV Duplex, which entered service in December 2011. The trains in the series are touted to be the only double-decker, interoperable high-speed trains capable of running on European networks at 320kmph. The Euroduplex was initially introduced on the Rhine-Rhone LGV high-speed rail line. The train is capable of transporting 1,020 passengers, compared to TGV Duplex which transports about 512 passengers. Euroduplex trains are designed to operate on French, German, Swiss and Luxembourgish rail networks. They are equipped with traction systems adapted to different electric currents used across Europe. Some of the trains in the series will also be capable of operating in Spain.
8.TGV Duplex
The TGV Duplex is a French high-speed train of the TGV family, manufactured by Alstom, and operated by the French national railway company SNCF. It is unique among TGV trains in that it features bi-level carriages. The separation between trains was reduced to three minutes on some TGV lines, but the increasingly complex signaling systems, and high-performance brakes (to reduce braking distance) required, limited this option. Another option is to widen the train but is generally not practicable due to loading gauge restrictions. In 2007 a short formation TGV Duplex was fitted with distributed traction as used in the future generation AGV (automotive à Grande Vitesse) setting a new speed record of 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph).
9.ETR 500 Frecciarossa Trains
The ETR 500 was designed to become a next generation high-speed train with its infrastructure and characteristics matching the comforts of a high-speed train. The train was designed by an Italian car design firm Pininfarina. Designing the first high-speed train during the time presented various challenges for Pininfarina. The design was based on extensive research carried out to build a highly technological, stylistic and aerodynamic prototype. The research mainly focused on the designing of a structure with a low drag coefficient. The ETR 500 Frecciarossa trains, which can travel at top speeds of 300kmph to 350kmph, were introduced in 2008 by Trenitalia. The outlining of the matrix was supervised in its tiniest detail limiting the aerodynamic resistance while moving at high speeds. The high pressures on the front doors and lags on the side doors were optimally minimised. Special measurement techniques were adopted for the design, including a computer controlled traversing gear and a 14-bore probe that measures speed and pressure produced due to aerodynamics. Different locomotive shapes were tested based on these results.
10.THSR 700T
The THSR 700T is the high-speed electric multiple unit trainset derived from the Japanese Shinkansen family for Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR), Taiwan’s high-speed rail line. The THSR 700T is based primarily on the 700 Series Shinkansen, with the “T” referring to Taiwan. The trains were manufactured in Japan by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Nippon Sharyo, and Hitachi, Ltd., marking the first time Japanese Shinkansen trains have been exported overseas. 30 trains were delivered to THSR operator Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC), and are in regular service with a top speed of 300 kilometres per hour (186 mph) since the line’s opening on January 5, 2007. In November 2008, THSRC announced that the company considers ordering an additional six to twelve trains from the Japanese makers for service starting in 2011, in order to cope with increased demand that was expected by that time. In May 2012 an order was placed with Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Toshiba for four 12 car trains, at an estimated cost of 19 billion Japanese yen
