The 10 fastest trains in the world in 2023
The world’s fastest trains
In 2023, do you want to ride on the world’s fastest high-speed trains? These days, there are a lot of high-speed trains around the world that go as fast as planes and have all the same amenities. That’s why most people choose to travel by train these days.
China has more high-speed train lines than any other country. The 10 fastest high-speed trains in the world in 2023 are shown below. Check it out!
10. Haramain High Speed Railway
300 km/h (186 mph) top speed
Country: Saudi Arabia
Some people also call it the Haramain Express. The Haramain High-Speed Railway is a fast train system in Saudi Arabia. It links Mecca (Makkah) and Medina (Medina), two holy towns, to Jeddah and King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), which are commercial and government hubs.
The railway was mostly built to make it easier for Muslim pilgrims (Hajj and Umrah) to get from Mecca to Medina, which are both very holy towns. It also helps people quickly and easily get from these towns to Jeddah, which is the main commercial hub, for business and pleasure.
It can go as fast as 300 kilometres per hour (186 mph), which is what the Harman High-Speed Railway was built for.
The 450-kilometer (279-mile) trip only takes two hours and is made possible by 35 Spanish-built Talgo trains that have been carefully modified to work in the desert in temperatures as high as 50 Celsius. In 2023, the Harman High-Speed Railway is one of the world’s fastest trains.
The Railways uses new, high-speed trains that are equipped with the latest technology and amenities. This makes journey more comfortable and quick for passengers.
09. Trenitalia ETR 1000
300 km/h (186 mph) top speed
Country: Italy
The Frecciarossa 1000, which is another name for the Trenitalia ETR 1000, is an Italian high-speed train. The Italian state railway company, Trenitalia, runs it. It is part of the Frecciarossa (Red Arrow) family of trains.
The ETR 1000 is one of the most modern and fastest trains in Italy. It is made to go fast on the country’s high-speed rail network.
Up to 360 km/h (224 mph) is the fastest speed that the ETR 1000 can hit. It’s one of Europe’s fastest high-speed trains.
There are different types of travel classes on the train, such as Standard, Premium, and Business. The interiors are modern and comfy. There are services for passengers such as Wi-Fi, power outlets, and lots of room to sit.
In Italy, the ETR 1000 runs on a number of high-speed train routes that link Milan, Rome, Florence, Naples, and other major cities. In 2023, the Trenitalia ETR 1000 is one of the world’s fastest trains.
08. KTX
305 km/h (190 mph) top speed
Country: South Korea
A high-speed rail line in South Korea is called the Korea Train Express (KTX). It is run by Korail. In 1992, work began on a high-speed train that would connect Seoul to Busan.
South Korea has quickly added more high-speed train lines, skipping over older lines that had to go around rough terrain that made travel time long and expensive.
Some KTX trains go to Busan and Gwangju from Seoul Station. They stop at Seoul Station and Yongsan Station along the way. For the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, a new line was built from Wonju to Gangneung in December 2017.
The fastest trains can go in regular service right now is 305 km/h, even though the tracks are built to handle 350 km/h. The first rolling stock was based on Alstom’s TGV Réseau and was made in Korea in part.
07. AVE S-103
310 km/h (193 mph) top speed
Country: Spain
The train used for the AVE service is the Renfe Class 103. It is run by RENFE, which is Spain’s government-owned railway business. In 2023, the AVE S-103 is one of the world’s fastest trains.
Certifications show that the S-103 can go as fast as 350 km/h (217 mph) and hold 404 people. It runs between Spain’s two biggest towns alongside the Talgo S-102 high-speed trains.
Siemens made the trains as the second member of the Velaro family made by the company. The fastest speed that AVEs can go commercially is 310 kilometres per hour. The S-102 Talgo and S-103 “Velaro” trains are the pride of the fleet. The latter is related to Germany’s ICE3 but is more powerful.
In July 2006, an S-103 set a Spanish rail speed record of 404 km/h (251 mph). At the time, it was also the world record for a regular business passenger train.
The first AVE Class 103 went into service on June 22, 2007, between Madrid and Tarragona, close to where the line to Barcelona was temporarily cut off.
06. ‘Al Boraq’
320 km/h (199 mph) top speed
Country: Morocco
A high-speed train line called Al Bourq runs from Casablanca to Tangier in Morocco. It is 320 kilometres (199 mi) long. It was the first of its kind in Africa, and it opened on November 15, 2018, after ten years of planning and building by ONCF, Morocco’s state railway company.
The trains are called “Al-Borak” after a mythical creature that is said to carry Islamic saints. This is the first part of the country’s plan to build a high-speed rail network that will run for 1,500 kilometres (932 miles).
A high-speed line runs the 186 km (116 mi) stretch from Tangier to Kenitra. Trains can go as fast as 320 km/h on this line. Along the last 137 km, trains run on the upgraded main line from Kenitra to Rabat and then on Morocco’s busiest route to Casablanca.
The trip from Casablanca to Tangier used to take 4 hours and 45 minutes, but now it only takes 2 hours and 10 minutes. When the designated high-speed trackage to Casablanca is finished, the trip will only take 1 hour and 30 minutes.
05. JR East E5
320 km/h (199 mph) top speed
Country: Japan
Japan’s Hitachi Rail and Kawasaki Heavy Industries make the E5 series and the linked H5 series of Shinkansen high-speed trains. East Japan Railway Company runs this E5 series. It was first used on the Tohoku Shinkansen on March 5, 2011, and on the Hokkaido Shinkansen on March 26, 2016.
At the moment, most Shinkansen can only go 300 kilometres per hour. However, on the Tohoku Shinkansen, which goes north from Tokyo, Japan Railways East’s E5 “bullet trains” can go up to 320 kilometres per hour.
Japan was the first country in the world to build a high-speed train in 1964. It is still the world leader in this field, with its Shinkansen lines pushing the limits of speed, capacity, and safety. One of the world’s fastest high-speed trains is the E5 and H5 Series Shinkansen.
On March 5, 2011, the first E5 series train sets were put into service on new Hayabusa lines between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori. They could go as fast as 300 km/h (186 mph). Japan’s Hitachi Rail and Kawasaki Heavy Industries make the E5 series and the linked H5 series of Shinkansen high-speed trains.
04. TGV
320 km/h (200 mph) top speed
Country: France
The TGV is France’s high-speed train service between cities. It is run by SNCF. From 1966 to 1974, SNCF worked on the high-speed train network and showed the plan to President Georges Pompidou, who agreed with it.
France has held the world record for the fastest regular train for a long time. On April 3, 2007, they reached an amazing 574.8 kilometres per hour (357 mph). At 150 metres per second, this is almost twice as fast as the fastest a Train à Grande Vitesse is supposed to go.
At first, the TGV prototypes were meant to be turbo trains driven by gas turbines. However, during the 1973 oil crisis, they were changed into electric trains. Alstom was asked by SNCF to build 87 high-speed trains in 1976.
Europe’s first dedicated high-speed network is still its most well-known and popular, and it reaches far beyond France. In France, the TGV network moves about 110 million people each year.
From Paris, you can take high-speed rail to Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nantes, Strasbourg, Lille, Brussels, and London. On some routes, trains can go as fast as 320 kilometres per hour. In 2023, the TGV in France is one of the world’s fastest high-speed trains.
03. ICE3
330 km/h (210 mph) top speed
Country: Germany
Deutsche Bahn runs a fleet of high-speed electric multiple unit trains called ICE 3. It comes in different versions, which are called ICE 3, ICE 3M, New ICE 3, and ICE 3 Neo.
On high-speed rail lines, the fastest ICE 3 trains can go is 320 km/h. On the other hand, the fastest Class 403 trains can go up to 330 km/h on the high-speed route between Frankfurt and Cologne. The fastest speed possible.
The ICE3 fleet also runs all over Germany and has trains that go on foreign routes, connecting big cities in Germany to cities in France, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
The ICE 3 (Class 403) was made to be stronger and lighter than the trains that came before it. It did this by spreading its 16 power motors out under the whole train.
Officially, the train can go 330 km/h, and during tests, it has gone as fast as 368 km/h. They can go as fast as 300 km/h on regular Intercity-Express trains, which is the top speed that German high-speed lines are designed to go.
02. Fuxing CR400
350 km/h (217 mph) top speed
Country: China
An electric high-speed train called the CR400 Fuxing was created by the CNR Changchun Railway Vehicle and built by the CRRC Chengdu Sifang.
The Fuxing trains in China can go as fast as 350 kilometres per hour and carry up to 1,200 people. Of all the high-speed lines in the world, its network is the largest. It also has the fastest scheduled trains.
The fastest speed that the CR400 “Fuxing” trains can go on the road is 350 kilometres per hour, but they have been tested and were able to hit 420 kilometres per hour. One of the fastest regular high-speed trains in the world, it runs every day.
The Fuxing trains are an important step forward for China’s rapidly growing railway technology business. They are an improvement over earlier generations of high-speed trains, which used technology from Europe and Japan. At the moment, the fastest versions of the CR400 are used on the important lines between Beijing and Shanghai-Hong Kong and Beijing and Harbin.
In Indonesia, the train will also run on the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway starting in 2023. A modified form of the train is called the KCIC400AF, Komodo Merah, or Petir Merah.
01. Shanghai Maglev
460 km/h (286 mph) top speed
Country: China
The Shanghai Maglev Train is a line of magnetic lift trains that run in Shanghai, China. The Shanghai Maglev is the first high-speed maglev train used for business. It can go as fast as 431 km/h, which will make it the fastest public train in the world in 2023.
At the moment, it is the only link in the world that uses magnetic levitation (maglev) instead of the more common steel wheels on steel tracks to move people. Maglev trains use German technology to fly over elevated lines. Strong magnets make the ride very smooth and free of friction.
When going at top speed, the 30 km trip takes 7 minutes and 20 seconds. However, some trains take about 50 seconds longer in the morning and late afternoon.
In 2 minutes and 15 seconds, a train can reach 300 km/h. After 4 minutes, it can reach its top usual operating speed of 431 km/h. China has now built its own 600 km/h maglev trains using what it has learned from running regular trains for more than ten years.
