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Best of 2011: High speed trains

With each passing day, human civilization is evolving in a better and complex shade by inventing myriad things for more benefits and usage. These ongoing processes of inventions are upgrading the living standards of human beings. One of those inventions is the super fast train technology that is growing rapidly across the globe. Gone are the days when train journeys were both boring and slow. Now, the latest technology is used in railways to make high-speed trains. Here is a list of five fastest trains of 2011. Read on to know more.

1. Australian High Speed Vehicle

A-HSV

The latest sleek train concept from international design practice HASSELL is inspired by the 1960s Australian HK Monaro coupe-A-HSV. This double-decker train has the capability to move at a speed of 400km/h, and offers spacious and modern interiors fitted with open commuter seats, luxurious dining, private quarters for meetings and even a convenience store. Apart from being a remarkable achievement in the rail transport, A-HSV is also a low carbon and safe mode of transport amongst the Australian capital and the other regional cities. According to the company, A-HSV will be an alternative to the busy air traffic that can travel from Melbourne to Sydney under three hours.

Do you think that in the time of budget airlines, this comfort case hurtling at 400km/h could be the future of Australian traveling culture?

2. Deutsche Bahn Icx

Deutsche Bahn Icx

Siemens and Deutsche Bahn are working as a team to put an entirely new train concept on the tracks that is similar to ICE 3, which was a revolution in the railway world. For Siemens, this is the largest contract in the history of 160 years. The company will build around 300 long distance ICx trains for Deutsche Bahn. The first train will start the service from 2016. Watch the first look of this train in given picture. According to Siemens, this train will offer unmatched energy efficiency and economic operation. Bombardier will supply the components of the train and will work as a partner with Siemens to develop the same.

3. California’s High Speed Rail

California’s High Speed Rail

With an estimated cost of $98.5 billion, the California High Speed train will connect San Francisco to Los Angeles. The railway lines will be constructed in segments, starting from Central Valley section between Merced and Bakersfield, starting from 2012, and will be completed by 2017. The complete system will take over 20 years to build 800 miles of track connecting every city from Sacramento to San Diego. It will use some of the existing tracks in San Francisco and Los Angeles, which will decrease the cost to some extent. Once completed, the railway line will make a profit of around $352 million a year. Initially, the original projected investment for the project was $33 billion when voters first approved it in 2008. After that, the amount saw an increase of 33% and became $43 billion. Even after increasing the investment, it was very less for such a huge project.

4. Maglev bullet train, Japan

bullet train

With a construction cost of around 5.1 trillion yen, the new train will cover the distance between Tokyo and Nagoya in about 40 minutes at a speed of 320mph, remarkably less than the Shinkansen bullet train that takes 100 minutes to cover the same distance. The station for the for the Maglev service will be built underground, with a plan that includes digging a 1 kilometer long tunnel, dozens of meters under the ground. The company is also planning to redesign Nagoya station, so that the passengers can reach the Shinkansen platform within 10 minutes if the maglev service is delayed or suspended.

The Maglev train is not going on the tracks before 2025; in the meantime, there is a plan to release a sleek version of heavily successful Shinkansen bullet train.

5. China’s 300kph Beijing-Shanghai bullet train

Beijing-Shanghai bullet train

With a speed of 300 kph, the train can cover the distance from Jinan West Railway Station to Beijing South Railway Station within one hour thirty two minutes, which is around two hours less than the current high speed trains. The train runs on the 1,318-kilometer Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway that connects together Yangtze River Delta and Pan-Bohai economic zones, maximizing the movement of people, capital, information and goods.

The makers of China’s fast-growing bullet train network organized the test run of this train in June 2011. It took around five and half hours to complete the trip from Beijing to Shanghai, which is around half the time of conventional trains.

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