High-speed rail in the United Kingdom is provided on five upgraded railway lines running at top speeds of 125 mph (200 km/h) and one purpose-built high-speed line reaching 186 mph (300 km/h).
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There are five lines in the UK which allow for high-speed rail travel. On four out of five lines, the maximum speed is 125mph, while the purpose-built HS1 line allows for speeds of 186mph.
High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway line in England, the first phase of which is under construction in stages and due for completion between 2029 and 2033, depending on approval for later stages.
Travel at speedOur Javelin trains travel at high speeds up to 140mph from London St Pancras International or Stratford International to Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International, that go on to call at many stations across Kent – including Canterbury, Margate, Ramsgate, Dover, Whitstable and Folkestone.
HS2's new British-built, bullet style trains will travel at up to 225mph on both high-speed and existing railway lines. We are building HS2 in phases. Our first phase of operation will link Birmingham Curzon Street and Old Oak Common in West London in 42 minutes.
Journeys between Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston will take just one hour and 11 minutes on HS2, 54 minutes quicker than today's fastest time by rail.
The quickest train from London Euston to Birmingham is just under 1h 20m. The HS2 train will take about 50 minutes. “It's supposed to be high speed but the train to Birmingham isn't that long anyway,” says Webb. “I won't be using it.
We are already committed to using zero carbon electricity to power HS2 trains, which will be some of the quietest and fastest in the world. Reliable, long-distance train travel between the North, the Midlands and the South East will be emission-free.
While most Shinkansen currently operate at a maximum of 300 kph (186 mph), the E5 “Bullet Trains” of Japan Railways East (JR East) run at up to 320 kph (200 mph) on the Tohoku Shinkansen, which runs north from Tokyo to Shin-Aomori.
When operational, HS2 will generate sound. This will be both through the movement of trains along the line and from the equipment along the route needed to operate our trains.
As of August 2022, the fastest train on Earth, based on its record speed, is the Japanese L0 Series Maglev with a record speed of 603 kilometers per hour.
HS2 will be delayed by another two years and major roadbuilding schemes will be mothballed, ministers have confirmed, after soaring inflation added billions to the cost of transport infrastructure projects.