When was the first high-speed train in Europe?

The earliest high-speed rail line built in Europe was the Italian Direttissima, the Florence–Rome high-speed railway 254 km (158 mi) in 1978, which used FS Class E444 3 kV DC locomotives. Italy pioneered the use of the Pendolino tilting train technology.



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A history of High Speed journeys in Spain The first High Speed Rail journey in Spain departed Madrid for Seville on the 21st of April, 1992.

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Trenitalia's Paris to Milan route was first introduced in December 2021, serviced by Hitachi Rail's ETR1000. This super high speed train travels at 300km/h - with the ability to go400km/h if not limited by track regulations - making it the fastest train in Europe.

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Japan: L0 Series Maglev (374 mph) Although not yet in regular service, this Japanese train, which is currently being developed and tested by the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central), holds the land speed record for rail vehicles, clocking in at 374 mph.

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There are limits to running trains with tradition wheels and railway track. Wind resistance, infrastructure wear and traction motors all add to the difficulties in running ever faster trains. Power consumption increases disproportionately as speed rises. Most European high speed trains have a top speed of 300 km/h.

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In 1934, Flying Scotsman achieved the first authenticated 100 mph (161 km/h) by a steam locomotive.

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Faster inter-city trains: 1920–1941 Rail transportation was not high-speed by modern standards but inter-city travel often averaged speeds between 40 and 65 miles per hour (64 and 105 km/h).

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“Competition between state-owned train company Trenitalia and privately owned Italo on the main high-speed line has driven up quality and passenger numbers, but pushed down prices by between 20 and 25 per cent,” he explains. “It's to the benefit of everyone except domestic airlines.”

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France was the first country to introduce high-speed rail in Europe when the LGV Sud-Est from Paris to Lyon opened in 1981 and TGV started passenger service. Since then, France has continued to build an extensive network, with lines extending in every direction from Paris.

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Two top Spanish transport officials have resigned over a botched order for new commuter trains that cost nearly €260m ($275m; £230m). The trains could not fit into non-standard tunnels in the northern regions of Asturias and Cantabria.

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1828 - Railway (horse-drawn carriage) Ceské Budejovice - Linz, first public railway in continental Europe, with length 120 km and rail gauge 1,106 mm (3 ft 7 1/2 in), section Ceské Budejovice - Kerschbaum put into operation on 30 September 1828.

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On 29 May 1991, six ICE 1 trains converged in Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe from different directions and officially inaugurated the era of high-speed rail travel in Germany. A few days later, on 2 June 1991, the first ICE trains officially inaugurated high-speed service in Germany.

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The new high-speed rail line from London will end in Birmingham after the UK government canceled plans to extend it to Manchester. In 1825, the world's first passenger train went into service in northern England.

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China has been building high-speed rail at a furious pace since 2007 and now boasts the world's largest network with 9,356 km (5,813 mi) of HSR track, including the longest line the world from Beijing to Guangzhou at 2,298 km (1,428 mi).

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Studies have found that high-?speed trains can generate new economic development near the stations where the trains stop. However, the same studies show that economic development slows in communities not served by such trains.

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Worldwide. The world's busiest passenger station, with a passenger throughput of 3.5 million passengers per day (1.27 billion per year), is Shinjuku Station in Tokyo.

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The high-speed rail (HSR) network in the People's Republic of China (PRC) is the world's longest and most extensively used – with a total length of 42,000 kilometres (26,000 mi) by the end of 2022. The HSR network encompasses newly built rail lines with a design speed of 200–350 km/h (120–220 mph).

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On the 1st May 1928, the locomotive hauled its first ever non-stop service, clocking in at just 8 hours. In 1934, the Flying Scotsman successfully travelled at 100mph, and became widely known as the fastest train in the world.

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From a financial standpoint, only two HSR lines in the world are profitable: Paris-Lyon in France and Tokyo-Osaka in Japan. A third line, Hakata-Osaka in Japan, breaks even. The majority of high-speed rail lines require large government subsidies from both general taxpayers and drivers.

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Iceland. Although there have been three railway networks in Iceland, the country has never had a public railway network. Iceland has no public railway network, and this is because of stiff competition from the automobile traffic, a small population, and harsh environmental conditions.

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The simple answer is that most railroads in Europe are government owned, while most railroads in America are private.

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