How can you define a high speed train? Conventionally, it needs to go above 200 km / hour at maximum speed. Of course, this can still be debatable, but it is a global accepted truth. Now, we see more and more projects around Europe to switch flying mode with railway journeys, which is not a bad idea at all. But going by train is not a new idea in the developed world. On the contrary. The pioneers of high speed trains where the Japanese, in 1964, and it took more than one decade to another nation to “replicate” the achievement. This one is in Europe: United Kingdom. Followed closely by Italy and France. Frecciarossa and TGV, trains that can go well beyond 300 kilometers / hour, were born.
Spain leads in Europe at high speed railway length
The example was cascading like a domino effect, and shortly many more countries in Europe and Asia followed. A great example is Spain, which started slower the process, but judging by the result, even more efficient. From 1992 to present day, Spain built almost 4.000 kilometers of high speed rail with a plan to achieve 1000 kilometer more in the next years. Having these tracks facilitate, for example, to go from Madrid to Barcelona in around 2 hours 45 minutes, on a distance of… 600+ kilometers. To make even more sense of this achievement, let’s say that Spain has around 17.000 kilometers of railways, fewer than Romania, for example, which has 20.000+ kilometers, but absolutely 0 high speed rail, even though both countries are in the same region: European Union.
But what about China?
Truth being told, Spain is ranked second in the world at this chapter, and everything was done in great timing but not record. Because, of course, China came in play in… 2008! Quite late, but… wow, what a movement! If Spain has 4.000 kilometers, and plans to build 1.000 for a solid second place, China looks unstoppable: 45.000 kilometers (!!!) and 25.000 under construction, in slightly more than 15 years. It is not an error, the Chinese built 11 times more than Spain! China also has the Shanghai Maglev, the fastest train in the world, which passes easy 430 km / hour at maximum speed, and in tests went as high as 501 km / hour! And if you thing that this is all, you are so wrong.
It is a big country, yes, but other big countries don’t have high speed networks!
Recently, in 2021, the works of the highest altitude high speed train line in the world, was finished from Lanzhou to Urumqi, and the station from Shandanmachang was finished. At 3.108 meters high! The total length of this high speed line alone is at more than 1.700 kilometers. Almost half than what Spain has! You will say that, OK, China is huge, quite understandable the size. But so is USA big, and very well developed. Not only that the United States have 220.000 kilometers of line, 60.000 km more than China, but they have only… 1.800 electrified altogether and just 136 high speed kilometers! Versus 45.000 km! Then, it really is a huge achievement.
And then, Tibet comes into play
The high speed part as the core of my article should be done now, because I am trying to be as brief as possible with information you can check anyway allover the internet in detail, if you want, but I can’t resist to mention that the Chinese recently inaugurated also the highest altitude railway overall in the world. It is not high speed, it was started in 1984, but at up to 5.700 meters high, and for a total length of 2.000 kilometers, does the speed even count anymore? I strongly recommend you, regarding this wonder line, to read this article, here. Just watching the “Oldie but Goldie” “Seven Years in Tibet”, with Brad Pitt, I can for sure state that this kind of read enthusiasms me very much!
Photo source: pixabay.com