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Fastest Train in the World – 357.2 MPH
The current world speed record for a train on steel wheels is held by the French TGV at 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph), achieved on 3 April 2007 on the new LGV Est.
The trainset, the track and the cantenary were modified to test new designs.
Fastest Trains You Can Ride – 217 MPH
Several routes in China operate at a top speed on 217 mph. This allows them to connect long distances, like Chicago – Atlanta, with door-to-door times similar to flying.
Fastest Average Speed – 198 mph
The fastest scheduled trains are on China’s Beijing to Shanghai line.
Train numbers G27 and G39 cover the roughly 639 miles between Beijing and Nanjing in 193 minutes at an average speed of 318 km/h (198 mph), which earns them the top station to station speed.
They cover the full 1,302 km, or 908 miles, between Beijing – Shanghai in less that 4.5 hours. That’s roughly Chicago – New York.
Morocco is on the List
Morocco’s new high-speed line places the country at number eight in the list by nations, just behind Germany and ahead of South Korea.
Hourly trains cover the new 194 km (121 mi) line from Tangier to Kenitra in only 50 minutes for an average speed of 233 km/h (145 mph).
(From Kenitra, trains continue to Casablanca on conventional tracks while the rest of the high-speed line is planned and built.)
North America
Decades of transportation funding centered on cars means America’s railways have fallen behind. But, the tide is starting to turn, with projects underway across the country.
Your membership will help accelerate progress.
The Acela is the Fastest Train in the USA
The fastest train in North America is the Acela which hits 150 mph in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Jersey.
New Acela trains will hit 160 mph in New Jersey.
California is Building 220-MPH High-Speed Rail
The first segment of the San Francisco to L.A. line is under construction in the Central Valley.
It’s part of a statewide integrated network plan and will improve transit throughout the state.
Brightline West – 200 mph
This 218-mile high-speed line is under construction. It will include a flagship station in Las Vegas, with additional stations in Apple Valley, Hesperia, and Rancho Cucamonga. The Rancho Cucamonga Station will connect to Metrolink, allowing connects into downtown Los Angeles and beyond.
American Record Train – 170.8 MPH
The American record is still held by an un-modified, production trainset on Penn Central’s main-line between Trenton and New Brunswick, New Jersey on December 20, 1967.
This is the section that Acela will reach 160 mph.
Test Train – 183.68 MPH
The steel wheel on steel rail record in North America was set by the New York Central with an experimental jet-powered railcar on July 23, 1966 in Northwest Ohio.
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