High-Speed Rail Around the World

With so many places to see within any given country, it’s a common wish among travelers that the world invent a magic train to shuttle them from location to location at super speed. In today’s world, that dream isn’t so far off — many nations across the globe have invested in building high-speed rail to get travelers from one place to another at top speed and efficiency. Using HSR is a great way to see the most during your travels.

In China, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Train connects mainland China with Hong Kong. The railway, which totals 142 kilometers in length, consists of two sections — one from Guangzhou to Shenzhen, and the other from Shenzhen to Hong Kong. Since December 2011, the high-speed trains from Guangzhou South Railway Station to Shenzhen North Railway Station have been in use. The cross-border Shenzhen-Hong Kong portion of the railway is expected to be complete within the next few years.

Nearby Japan has been operating bullet trains for several years to shuttle people on the country’s main islands of Honshu and Kyushu. The network of HSR “bullet trains,” or shinkansen, are operated by Japan Railways and connect Tokyo with most of Japan’s other major cities.

Europeans, too, enjoy HSR when traveling between cities. The ICE (InterCity Express) is a high-speed train that connects all major cities in Germany. With speeds up to 300 kilometers per hour, ICE is one of the fastest ways to travel between cities such as Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne. The ICE has international connections to Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Austria.