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This article was first published 12 years ago

A look at Europe's high-speed train network

Last updated on: July 9, 2012 13:02 IST

Image: High speed trains travel at their maximum speed on specific tracks.
Photographs: Jason Lee/Reuters

High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than traditional rail traffic. As of 2012 the maximum commercial speed was about 300kmph for the majority of installed systems.

The Shanghai Maglev Train reaches 431kmph.

High-speed trains travel at their maximum speed on specific tracks, generally using standard gauge, with avoiding at-grade crossings, and few curves.

Let's take a look at the high-speed train network in Europe.

Source: CNN

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A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Max Rossi/Reuters

Number of high-speed passengers

France

Total passengers: 114,395 million

Passenger kilometres: 51,864 billion

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Tags: , France , Europe

A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Max Rossi/Reuters

Number of high-speed passengers

Germany

Total passengers: 73,709 million

Passenger kilometres: 22,561 billion

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Tags: , Europe , Germany

A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Aly Song/Reuters

Number of high-speed passengers

Italy

Total passengers: 33,377 million

Passenger kilometres: 10,746 billion

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Tags: , Europe

A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Jason Lee/Reuters

Number of high-speed passengers

Spain

Total passengers: 28,751 million

Passenger kilometres: 11,505 billion

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Tags: , Europe , Spain

A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Anton Golubev/Reuters

Number of high-speed passengers

Belgium

Total passengers: 9,591 million

Passenger kilometres: 1,061 billion

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Tags: , Europe

A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Jason Lee/Reuters

Number of high-speed passengers

The United Kingdom

Total passengers: 9,220 million

Passenger kilometres: 1,014 billion

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A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: David Gray/Reuters

Number of high-speed passengers

The Netherlands

Total passengers: 6,005 million

Passenger kilometres: 0,915 billion

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Tags: , Europe

A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Kyodo/Reuters

Number of high-speed passengers

Finland

Total passengers: 2,278 million

Passenger kilometres: 0,604 billion

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Tags: , Europe , Finland

A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: China Daily/Reuters

Number of high-speed passengers

Turkey

Total passengers: 0,942 million

Passenger kilometres: 0,237 billion

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Tags: , Europe , Turkey

A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: China Daily/Reuters

Market share with air travel

Madrid-Seville

Distance: 471 kilometres

Journey time: 2 hour, 25 minutes

Train speed: 194.90kmph

Market share: 83 per cent (train)

Market share: 17 per cent (air)

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Tags: , Europe

A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Aly Song/Reuters

Market share with air travel

Paris-London

Distance: 444 kilometres

Journey time: 2 hour, 15 minutes

Train speed: 197.33kmph

Market share: 81 per cent (train)

Market share: 19 per cent (air)

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A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Aly Song/Reuters

Market share with air travel

Paris-Brussels

Distance: 310 kilometres

Journey time: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Train speed: 218.82kmph

Market share: 95 per cent (train)

Market share: 5 per cent (air)

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Tags: , Europe

A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters

Market share with air travel

Paris-Barcelona

Distance: 630 kilometres

Journey time: 2 hour, 45 minutes

Train speed: 229.09kmph

Market share: 50 per cent (train)

Market share: 50 per cent (air)

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A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters

Kilometre of high-speed rail in Europe

Spain

In operation: 2,056km

Planned: 3,469km

Total: 5,525km

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Tags: Europe , Spain

A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Heino Kalis/Reuters

Kilometre of high-speed rail in Europe

France

In operation: 1,896km

Planned: 3,469km

Total: 5,525km

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Tags: Europe , France

A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters

Kilometre of high-speed rail in Europe

Germany

In operation: 1,285km

Planned: 1,048km

Total: 2,333km

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Tags: Europe , Germany

A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: China Daily/Reuters

Kilometre of high-speed rail in Europe

Italy

In operation: 923km

Planned: 395km

Total: 1,318km

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Tags: Europe , Italy

A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters

Kilometre of high-speed rail in Europe

Portugal

In operation: 0km

Planned: 1,006km

Total: 1,006km

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A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters

Kilometre of high-speed rail in Europe

Sweden

In operation: 0km

Planned: 750km

Total: 750km

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Tags: Europe , Sweden

A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Donald Chan/Reuters

Kilometre of high-speed rail in Europe

Poland

In operation: 0km

Planned: 712km

Total: 712km

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Tags: Europe , Poland

A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Claro Cortes/Reuters

Kilometre of high-speed rail in Europe

The United Kingdom

In operation: 113km

Planned: 204km

Total: 317km

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A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters

Kilometre of high-speed rail in Europe

Belgium

In operation: 209km

Planned: 0km

Total: 209km

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Tags: Europe , Belgium

A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Claro Cortes/Reuters

Kilometre of high-speed rail in Europe

Switzerland

In operation: 35km

Planned: 72km

Total: 107km

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A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Paul Hanna/Reuters

First

The first high-speed rail first opened in 1964, in Japan, between Tokyo and Osaka. Europe's first dedicated high-speed rail started in 1978, in Italy, between Rome and Florence.

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Tags: Europe , Osaka , Italy , Tokyo

A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Stephen Hird/Reuters

Fastest

The world record for the fastest conventional train is held by a French TGV, which reached 574.8kmph in April 2007. TGV says its regular high-speed trains reach speeds of up to 320kmph.

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Tags: TGV , Europe

A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Stephen Hird/Reuters

Track

Construction of one kilometre of new high-speed line in Europe costs between $15-$37 million, according to the International Union of Railways.

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A look at Europe's high-speed train network


Photographs: Handout/Reuters

Train

Construction of a 350-seat high-speed train in Europe costs betwen $25-$31 million, according to the International Union of Railways.