High-speed rail
Photo: Sui-setz, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
High-speed rail (often abbreviated to "HSR") is a form of rail travel that uses trains that can travel at least on purpose-built tracks. The fastest trains are capable of speeds in excess of , though operational top speeds in day-to-day service are often limited to or less. Most definitions also include upgraded legacy tracks if speeds are or higher in revenue service, and some high-speed rail services contain no purpose-built tracks whatsoever. Many rail enthusiasts like high-speed trains because of their sleek streamlined designs, which are meant to improve efficiency and reduce air resistance, their eye-catching "snouts" which eliminate the tunnel boom, their modernity and of course their breathtaking speed!
High-speed rail is often faster than flying, if you take into account the time it takes to get to the airport and through security checks, as well as the usually faster boarding procedures for trains. This is particularly true for journeys between relatively nearby cities, and the regions where high-speed rail is most prevalent (Western Europe and East Asia) have many large cities in close proximity to one another. A train journey is usually faster than going by plane if it takes three hours or less. And of course, you'll get to enjoy the scenery during your journey, which you generally would not if travelling by plane. In addition, rail travel is more responsible way of transportation, emitting much less carbon than air travel.
Many high-speed rail services, especially in Asia, are aimed at business travellers and the fare structure and on-board amenities (e.g. Wi-Fi, a place to hang a suit) tend to reflect this.
The vast majority of high-speed trains are electrical multiple units (EMUs), which means they are driven by electricity and have their motive power distributed over most or all of the train instead of concentrated in a single locomotive. This has several technological advantages and means that a design where some passengers sitting directly behind the driver can see the tracks through the front window is easy to implement and has been done on some German ICEs.
HistoryThe first high-speed rail line was Japan's Shinkansen (literally "new trunk line" but often called Bullet Train), with its first line, the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, completed in 1964 — just in time for that year's Olympic…
By region and countryGenerally speaking, high-speed rail networks are most developed in East Asia and western Europe.
Tickets and pricesIn many regards railways that run high-speed lines have taken a page out of the play book of (no frills) aviation.
Stay safeHigh-speed rail is one of the safest ways to travel. Rail travel in general has a better safety record than road travel: car drivers are ten times more likely to die in an accident than railway passengers.
Environmental aspectsHigh-speed rail travel is usually regarded as an environmentally-friendly way to get around, as the carbon footprint is almost always lower than that of aviation, usually than that of driving and sometimes less than on…
Even fasterMagnetic levitation, or maglev, trains have the potential to travel at speeds in excess of , largely due to the reduced friction from levitating above the track.
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "High-speed rail" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Sui-setz, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons