Modern trains, the movement of which is based on the latest technology, can reach tremendous speeds - over 500 kilometers per hour. There is a Shinkansen railway network in Japan, which is considered to be one of the fastest trains in the world. There are similar networks in other countries, but they are slightly inferior in speed to Japanese ones.
Shinkansen
The Shinkansen trains on the Japanese rail network, which translates to "new line", are considered the fastest in the world. The network is laid between many major cities in Japan, its history began in 1964, when the first line was opened between Tokyo and Osaka, south and north of Japan. Today "shinkansens" run over almost the entire area in the country. They are capable of covering a distance of several hundred kilometers in a matter of hours.
So, from the Japanese capital to Osaka can be reached in two and a half hours.
These Japanese trains were nicknamed "bullets" for their high-speed capabilities. In 1996, they set a speed record on conventional railroad tracks, accelerating to 443 kilometers per hour. At the beginning of the 21st century, a new system for the movement of trains on magnetic suspension was created, and back in 2003, the Shinkansens managed to achieve an absolute world record for trains - a speed of 581 kilometers per hour, which has not yet been surpassed by any other train. This technology makes the movement of trains completely silent, since the wheels do not exist, and the train literally levitates over the tracks thanks to strong magnets.
True, magnetic suspensions have not yet been put into operation, in 2027 the line will be laid between the capital and Nagoya, and only by 2045 it is planned to build such a line between Tokyo and Osaka.
The Japanese railway network is known not only for its speed, but its other advantage is its high safety. For more than half a century, these trains have been rushing through Japan, but they have never had a major accident. Today there are three categories of shinkansen - hikari, kodama and nozomi. The latter develops the highest speed thanks to its aerodynamic design, but it stops only at large stations. And the other two species move more slowly and make stops at small stations.
Other fast trains
The French network of electric trains also boasts a high speed; on average, trains travel no slower than in Japan, accelerating to 400-500 kilometers per hour. But they have not yet managed to break the Japanese record of this network called TGV - the maximum speed of the TGV POS model was 574 kilometers per hour.
In the suburbs of Shanghai, electric trains operate at speeds of about 500 kilometers per hour - from the center of a large Chinese city to the airport, located thirty kilometers away, can be reached in seven minutes. Another Chinese train, which runs between Nanjing and Shanghai, travels at speeds of up to 486 kilometers per hour.
