Travel Inn Magazine

Hyperloop and other unproven, low-capacity technologies can’t compete with rail’s capabilities to move large crowds fast.
More than a trillion dollars have been poured into the construction of new, faster, higher-capacity trains throughout Europe and Asia since they were first proposed in the 1980s, notably the Shinkansen in Japan, and the TGV in France.
A 38,000-kilometer rail network connecting nearly every part of China has made China the unchallenged leader in the globe in just the last decade.
The European network is being expanded by Spain, Germany, Italy, Belgium, and England, with more countries likely to join by the 2030s.
The Al-Boraq line in Morocco became Africa’s first high-speed railway in 2018 and Egypt is expected to join the club by the end of the 2020s.

There are many countries across the world that are building new railways that will allow trains to travel at speeds of over 250 kph between major cities, including South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, India, Thailand, Russia, and the United States (155 mph).
However, in 2022, where will the fastest trains in the world take you?

Al Boraq’ 320 kph/198.5 mph (Morocco)

Dedicated high-speed rail service between Tangier, Morocco and Casablanca, Morocco, was inaugurated in November 2018.The service, named ‘Al-Boraq’ after a mythical monster that c

arried the Islamic prophets, is the first phase of the country’s projected high-speed network of 1,500 kilometers (930 miles).On a new 186-kilometer (116-mile) route connecting Tangier and Kenitra, French-built TGV Euroduplex double-deck electric trains reach speeds of up to 320 kph (200 mph).

In addition, the existing 137-kilometer (85-mile) segment between Rabat and Casablanca was upgraded for faster speeds as part of the $2 billion project, decreasing the end-to-end journey time from 4 hours 45 minutes to just 2 hours and 10 minutes..
Travel time to Casablanca will be reduced to just 90 minutes if the proposed new line is built.

TGV — 320 kph/198.5 mph (France)

The world record for conventional trains was established by France on April 3, 2007, at a speed of 574.8 kph (357 mph). TGV services, which have been hailed as a pioneer in high-speed rail technology, can go at 150 meters per second, which is nearly double their typical maximum speed.

As Europe’s first and most successful high-speed network, it stretches far beyond France’s borders. It has been nearly 70 years since the end of World War II, yet the French railway industry has continued to push the limits of what is possible with conventional trains, setting new marks in 1955 (331 kph) and 1981 (380 kph) (515.3 kph). Trains traveling at speeds of up to 320 kph can be found on several of the high-speed lines radiating from Paris to Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nantes, Strasbourg, Brussels, and London. As the network has grown over the past 40 years, the trains have gone through various generations.

CR400 ‘Fuxing’ — 350 kph/217 mph (China)

China now boasts the fastest scheduled trains in the world, in addition to the world’s largest high-speed network.
On test runs, the CR400 “Fuxing” trains have reached speeds of up to 420 kph (260 mph), well over their commercial top speed limit of 350 kph (217 mph). The Fuxing trains are a statement of purpose by China’s expanding railway technology industry, built from the previous generation of high-speed trains, which were based on technology acquired from Europe and Japan.
These trains, which can hold up to 1,200 passengers, are packed with novel features like in-seat entertainment, smart glass displays and wireless charging, “smart cabins,” and even trains designed for extreme weather conditions and autonomous operation—the latter of which is the world’s only automatic high-speed trains..
Beijing-Shanghai-Hong Kong and Beijing-Harbin are currently served by the fastest CR400 variants.

ICE3 — 330 kph/205 mph (Germany)

The InterCity Express (ICE) name encompasses a wide range of high-speed trains that travel on a variety of routes in Germany.
However, the “White Worm” family’s fastest member is the 330 kph (205 mph) ICE3 from 1999. Since 2002, the journey time between Cologne and Frankfurt has been reduced from two hours and 30 minutes to just 62 minutes thanks to these elegant high-speed trains.
For such times when they’re running behind schedule, ICE3s are permitted to travel at speeds of 330 kilometers per hour (186 miles per hour). During the test runs, the vehicle reached a top speed of 368 kilometers per hour (229 mph). The 16 electric motors that power the ICE3’s eight-car train are critical to its performance, delivering a tremendous 11,000 horsepower.
In addition to international routes connecting key German cities with Paris, Amsterdam, and Brussels, the ICE3 fleet includes trains for domestic routes that go throughout Germany.
“Velaro” trains, which have been sold to countries such as China and Turkey and Eurostar for their second-generation international trains are based on this design.

Written By: Oma Nnorom ( for Travel Inn Magazine)