Last month, the Italians launched a high-speed rail service from Rome to Naples and Florence, with Venice on the way. In this regard, we decided to ask how things are with high-speed trains in Europe, and now we share the results of these observations with our readers.
Italy
The fastest trains on the peninsula are called FrecciaRossa: they belong to Trenitalia and develop more than 300 kilometers per hour, linking such important metropolises of the country as Rome, Milan, Naples and Turin. Soon Venice and the southern port and resort town of Bari will also be added here. Flights from Rome Airport are docked with international flights, so the train can become an alternative to low-cost companies engaged in servicing domestic Italian flights.
Tickets are generally inexpensive: from Rome to Naples you can get in an hour with a little and 30 euros, despite the fact that the plane will cost at least a hundred - and this is still a very good layout.
Another option is the eco-friendly Italo EVO trains, which are made from recycled materials and have a reduced carbon emission (strangely, even in the case of the railway, this is important to someone). The company demonstrates a progressive approach, often holds sales and promotions, so it is best to subscribe to their accounts in social networks and download the application so as not to miss a profitable option.
France
The French intend to double the network of high-speed railway lines in 8 years, as well as increase passenger traffic (it, by the way, is 110 million people annually). The TGV network has launched tentacles into neighboring countries – Spain and Italy, Benelux and Germany. In addition, the French have an extensive network of business partners, making the route scheme truly impressive.
The company and the government in the very near future plan to expand part of the network in the southern direction, connect Languedoc and Aquitaine, as well as Perpignan and Montpellier, Touraine. In addition, there are plans to launch a "fast" train from Paris to Berlin and back; in this case, instead of the usual days from one capital to another, it will be possible to get there in less than 7 hours. First, it is planned to launch a day train, and then, as the direction develops, night trains will be added to them.
United Kingdom
The British are conservative and do not particularly like high-speed communication. For many years, there was only one "fast" line in the country - High Speed 1 (HS1), connecting the capital's railway stations and the tunnel under the English Channel. On this branch at a speed of more than 200 kilometers per hour run Eurostar trains, as well as commuter trains to the county of Kent.
The carrying capacity of the branch is markedly higher than what is actually demonstrated; if today they transfer 11 million foreign citizens and another 15 million natives of the United Kingdom, and the maximum tunnel is designed for 50 million passengers a year.
The main route of the network connects the British and French capitals; the train overcomes the route for a hundred euros and an hour and a half. Low-cost airlines offer a little less time and a more modest price tag, but this is a deception: the train stations are located in the center of Paris and London, respectively, while the airports are located on the periphery and you will have to get to and from the city, as well as spend time riding public transport or looking for a taxi.
Having refused membership in the EU, the British decided to engage in the construction of internal high-speed lines; High Speed 2 (HS2) will have to connect London and Birmingham, and then the rails will move towards the industrial cities of central England, such as Manchester and Nottingham. This prospect is very distant: having started construction in 2009, the British are in no hurry and only the first section is planned to be commissioned not earlier than 2035, but, more likely, in 2040.
Germany
In Germany, the largest metropolitan areas are connected by a grid of high-speed ICE lines, with separate branches entering neighboring Swiss and Austrian provinces. By 2025, it is planned to put into operation another, relatively short, but important line between Stuttgart and Wenlingen.
The nominal speed of the network is 300 kilometers per hour, but such indicators are demonstrated only in certain areas, for example, between Berlin and Dresden, Rostock. Most of the network does not allow you to move faster than 200 kilometers per hour, which is due to the obsolescence of the lines laid in the early 90s and in need of modernization.
At the same time, German railways, in principle, are very careless about the schedule, run irregularly and intermittently. HSR passes are not valid, you have to use traditional tariffs. It would seem that you can turn to The Lufthansa planes (are there no problems with rails and sleepers in the sky?), but frequent strikes of air traffic controllers and pilots seem to hint: you will not get there on time, Jon Snow.
Spain
The national expressway network is operated by Renfe Corporation; AVE trains travel along it at a speed of more than 350 kilometers per hour. The first line connecting the capital with Seville, located south, was opened in 1992 and brought to normal operation a year later. In total, there are now 10 lines in the country, among them the longest line on the continent with a length of 620 kilometers, connecting Madrid with the capital of Catalonia, Barcelona.
Only two countries have a longer network of high-speed highways – China and Japan. Soon the length of the network will grow by another 800 kilometers - from Murcia the line will be laid to the eastern Almeria, and from the capital there will be a branch to Santander.
