You Won’t Believe The Countries Replacing Planes With High-Speed Trains
Not only is travelling by train a more relaxing, scenic option compared to plane travel, it's more eco-friendly too – a recent report by the think tank Intergenerational Foundation suggested the UK could cut its aviation fuel emissions by a third if it banned short-haul flights in favour of rail routes. From iconic routes like Japan's bullet trains, which can travel at speeds of up to 225 miles per hour (360km/h), to TGV's swift services, here are the finest high-speed routes to get inspired by.
The inside track on fast trains around the world:
- Tokaido Shinkansen, Japan
- Cairo fast train, Egypt
- Frecciarossa, Italy
- Shanghai Maglev, China
- Fuxing Hao, China
- Haramain Railway, Saudi Arabia
- Eurostar e320, UK, France, Belgium and the Netherlands
- The Thalys network, France, Belgium, the Netherlands & Germany
- Al Boraq, Morocco
- Vande Bharat Express, India
- HS2, England, UK
- Acela Express, USA
- AVE network, Spain
- Chuo Shinkansen, Japan
- TGV, France
- Laos-China Railway, Laos
- Jakarta to Bandung high-speed train, Indonesia
Discovering China by High-Speed Train
China now boasts the world's largest high-speed rail network, with more than 22,000km of track © Xinhua News Agency / Getty
It was once Japan that was famous for its high-speed train network, introducing the world to its Shinkansen, or bullet trains, way back in 1964. But while the Land of the Rising Sun is still a leader in rail technology, it is now China that holds the crown of high-speed train capital of the world.
In the decade or so since China put into operation its first high-speed passenger trains, the country has constructed more than 22,000 kilometres of high-speed rail track to create the longest network on Earth. In 2017, the country launched the world's fastest high-speed train, known as 'Fuxing' or 'Harmony', which travels at up to 350 kilometres per hour, reducing travel time between Beijing and Shanghai to four and a half hours.
Now, China’s high-speed trains – officially defined as passenger trains that travel at speeds of 250–350 kilometres per hour – take travellers to almost all of the country’s provinces. With Inner Mongolia’s first high-speed line opening in July 2017, only Tibet and tiny Ningxia currently lack high-speed trains. But with plans for the continued expansion of the network it won’t be long until they too are serviced by high-speed lines. All this makes for a super-fast, and relatively inexpensive way, to cover this country's vast distances. If you're in the mood for a speedy look at the Middle Kingdom, here are some of our picks for the most epic high-speed rail journeys in China.
China’s High-Speed Railways in Southeast Asia
Indonesia launched Southeast Asia's first high-speed railway on Monday (Oct 2), a delayed, multibillion-dollar project backed by China that President Joko Widodo hailed as "a symbol of our modernisation".
With a top speed of 350 kmh, the bullet train "Whoosh" can get between the capital Jakarta and Bandung in 45 minutes. The 140km journey would previously have taken about three hours by train.
"The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train marks our efficient, friendly, and integrated mass transportation system," Widodo said during a ceremony at the capital's central station. "It is a symbol of our modernisation in the public transport, seamlessly connecting with other modes of transportation."
The Unstoppable Growth of China's HSR Network
The increasing speed of transportation has made the world smaller and smaller, made the communication between countries easier, and more importantly, made people's lives more convenient. Chinese engineers set a new world record for a high-speed speed of an incredible 320 km/hr.
Beijing, China (Urban Transport News): The State Council of China has announced plans to expand the country's high-speed bullet train network to 50,000km by 2025, up from 38,000km at the end of 2020, with the total network reaching 165,000km, an increase of 19,000km from 2020.
As of 2021, the country had more than 150,000 km (93,206 mi) of railways, the second longest network in the world. By the end of 2021, China had more than 40,000 kilometres (24,855 miles) of high-speed rail (HSR), the longest HSR network in the world.
China's High-Speed Railway HSR
The fast and the floating: China's is leading the world in the introduction of Maglev train services.
Connecting Shanghai's Pudong airport with Longyang Road station in the city center, it has a maximum commercial speed of 460 kph, completing the 30 kilometer journey in just seven and a half minutes. Based on German technology, the Maglev trains fly along an elevated track, the powerful magnets providing a super-smooth, friction-free ride.
Using experience gained from more than a decade of regular operation, China has now developed its own 600 kph (373 mph) Maglev trains and has ambitious plans for a network of Maglevs, including a line between Shanghai and Hangzhou.
HSR S'pore-KL in just 90 minutes
Project terminated after agreement lapses, both countries to proceed with 'necessary actions'
The Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project will be discontinued after the HSR agreement lapsed on Dec 31, 2020, the Prime Ministers of both countries said in a joint statement on Friday morning (Jan 1). Both Singapore and Malaysia will now proceed with the "necessary actions".
In the statement, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said: "The Government of Malaysia and the Government of Singapore wish to provide an update on the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR Project in view of the expiry of the suspension period of the HSR Project on Dec 31, 2020.
"In light of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the Malaysian economy, the Government of Malaysia had proposed several changes to the HSR Project. Both Governments had conducted several discussions with regard to these changes and had not been able to reach an agreement. Therefore, the HSR Agreement had lapsed on Dec 31, 2020," the leaders said.
