阿曼達(dá)·布里尼

High speed trains1 are a type of passenger train travel that functions at a speed much higher than that of traditional passenger trains. There are different standards of what constitutes high speed trains based on the train’s speed and technology used however. In the European Union， high speed trains are that which travels 125 miles per hour （200 km/h） or faster， while in the United States it is those that travel 90 mph （145 km/h） or faster.

History of high speed trains

Train travel has been a popular form of passenger and freight transport since the early 20th century. The first high speed trains appeared as early as 1933 in Europe and the U.S. when streamliner trains were used to transport goods and people at speeds of around 80 mph （130 km/h）. In 1939， Italy introduced its ETR 200 train that had routes from Milan to Florence and was capable of traveling at a top speed of 126 mph （203 km/h）. Services and further development for ETR 200 stopped with the beginning of World War II.

After WWII， high speed trains again became a priority in many countries. It was especially important in Japan and in 1957， the Romancecar 3000 SSE was launched in Tokyo. The Romancecar was a narrow gauge train （a narrower area than 4 feet [1.4 m] across between the railroad’s rails） and set a world speed record for its ability to travel 90 mph （145 km/h）.

Shortly thereafter in the mid-1960s， Japan introduced the world’s first high volume high speed train that operated with a standard （4 ft） gauge. It was called the Shinkansen2 and officially opened in 1964. It provided rail service between Tokyo and Osaka at speeds of around 135 mph （217 km/h）. The word Shinkansen itself means “new main line” in Japanese but because of the trains’ design and speed， they became known around the world as “bullet trains3.”

After the opening of the bullet trains in Japan， Europe also started developing high capacity4 high speed trains in 1965 at the International Transport Fair in Munich， Germany. Several high speed trains were tested at the fair but Europe’s high speed rail service was not fully developed until the 1980s.

Today’s high speed train technology

Since the development of high speed rail， there have been many changes in the technology used in high speed trains. One of these is maglev （magnetic levitation）， but most high speed trains use other technologies because they are easier to implement and they allow for more direct high speed connections to cities without the need for new tracks.

Today there are high speed trains that use steel wheels on steel tracks that can travel at speeds over 200 mph. Minimal stopping for traffic， long curves， and aerodynamic， light trains also allow today’s high speed trains to travel even faster. In addition， new technologies being implemented in train signaling systems can enable high speed trains to safely minimize time between trains at stations， thereby allowing travel on them to be even more efficient.

Worldwide high speed trains

Today， there are many large high speed rail lines around the world. The largest though are found in Europe， China and Japan. In Europe， high speed trains operate in Belgium， Finland， France， Germany， Italy， Portugal， Romania， Spain， Sweden， Turkey and the United Kingdom. Spain， Germany， the U.K. and France currently have the largest high speed train networks in Europe.

High speed trains are also significant in China and Japan. China， for example， has the world’s largest high speed rail network at just over 3，728 miles （6，000 km）. The network provides service between the country’s major cities using maglev as well as more conventional trains.

Prior to China’s construction of new high speed rail lines in 2007， Japan had the world’s largest high speed train network at 1，528 mi （2，459 km）. Today the Shinkansen is highly important there and new maglev and steel wheeled trains are currently being tested.

In addition to these three areas， high speed rail lines are also present as a commuter train in the eastern U.S. and also in South Korea.

Advantages of high speed trains

Once completed and well established， high speed train lines have many advantages over other forms of high capacity public transportation. One of these is that due to infrastructure design in many countries， highway and air travel systems are constrained， cannot expand， and in many cases are overloaded. Because the addition of new high speed rail can also be high capacity， it has the potential relieve congestion on other transit systems.

High speed trains are also considered more energy efficient or equivalent to other modes of transit per passenger mile. In terms of possible passenger capacity， high speed trains can also reduce the amount of land used per passenger when compared to cars on roads. In addition， train stations are normally smaller than airports and can therefore be located within major cities and spaced closer together， allowing for more convenient travel.

Future of high speed trains

Because of these advantages， high speed rail use is increasing worldwide. By 2025 Europe plans to dramatically increase its connections and the EU has a goal of creating a Trans-European high speed train network to connect the entire region. Other examples of future high speed rail plans can be found across the globe from California to Morocco to Saudi Arabia， thus strengthening the importance of high speed trains as a viable form of future public transportation.

高速列車是客運(yùn)列車的一種，運(yùn)行速度遠(yuǎn)高于傳統(tǒng)客運(yùn)列車。根據(jù)運(yùn)行速度和所用技術(shù)，其標(biāo)準(zhǔn)又有不同。在歐盟，運(yùn)行時(shí)速至少125英里（200公里）的為高速列車，而在美國(guó)，該標(biāo)準(zhǔn)為90英里（145公里）。

高速列車的歷史

自20世紀(jì)初，火車已成為一種常用的客貨運(yùn)交通。最早的高速列車于1933年出現(xiàn)在歐洲和美國(guó)，當(dāng)時(shí)用于客貨運(yùn)的流線型火車時(shí)速約80英里（130公里）。1939年，意大利在米蘭和佛羅倫薩間開(kāi)通了ETR200型列車，時(shí)速最高可達(dá)126英里（203公里），但隨著二戰(zhàn)爆發(fā)，該列車停運(yùn)，再無(wú)后續(xù)發(fā)展。

二戰(zhàn)結(jié)束后，高速列車重新成為多國(guó)優(yōu)先發(fā)展的對(duì)象，日本尤甚。1957年， “浪漫快車”3000 SSE亮相東京，該車窄軌（鐵路軌道間距小于4英尺，即1.4米）運(yùn)行，時(shí)速90英里（145公里），創(chuàng)下世界紀(jì)錄。

此后不久，1960年代中期，日本又推出了世界上首款標(biāo)準(zhǔn)軌距（4英尺）運(yùn)行的大容量高速列車。列車名為“新干線”（Shinkansen），1964年正式開(kāi)通運(yùn)行，往來(lái)于東京和大阪，時(shí)速約135英里（217公里）。在日文中，Shinkansen義為“新的干線”，但其外形設(shè)計(jì)和速度使它以“子彈頭列車”聞名于世。

日本開(kāi)通子彈頭列車后，1965年德國(guó)慕尼黑的國(guó)際交通展會(huì)上，歐洲也開(kāi)始研發(fā)大容量高速列車。展會(huì)期間，數(shù)款高速列車試車，但歐洲的高速列車直到1980年代才發(fā)展成熟。

當(dāng)今高速列車技術(shù)

高速列車發(fā)展過(guò)程中所使用的技術(shù)經(jīng)歷了許多變化。磁懸浮是其中的一種，但大多數(shù)高速列車使用的是其他技術(shù)，原因是那些技術(shù)更容易實(shí)施，毋須新鋪軌道，即可實(shí)現(xiàn)更多的城際高速直通。

目前，鋼輪鋼軌體系的高速列車運(yùn)行時(shí)速可超過(guò)200英里。?？可佟澋谰?、流線型和輕車身等特點(diǎn)使當(dāng)今的高速列車運(yùn)行更快，此外，信號(hào)系統(tǒng)引入新技術(shù)，使列車在保證安全的前提下能最大限度地縮短發(fā)車間隔，列車出行更加高效。

世界各國(guó)的高速列車

目前，世界各地有許多大型高速列車網(wǎng)，最大的在歐洲、中國(guó)和日本。在歐洲，比利時(shí)、芬蘭、法國(guó)、德國(guó)、意大利、葡萄牙、羅馬尼亞、西班牙、瑞典、土耳其和英國(guó)均有高速列車，但網(wǎng)絡(luò)規(guī)模以西班牙、德國(guó)、英國(guó)和法國(guó)為最。

中國(guó)和日本的高速列車也很有影響。中國(guó)的高速列車網(wǎng)總里程超過(guò)了3728英里（6000公里），為世界之最，連接該國(guó)主要城市，既有磁懸浮列車，也有較常規(guī)的列車。

在中國(guó)2007年建成新的高速列車網(wǎng)之前，日本的高速列車軌道總里程曾居世界第一，為1528英里（2459公里）。目前，新干線是十分重要的交通線，新的磁懸浮和鋼輪列車正在試驗(yàn)中。

除以上這三個(gè)地區(qū)外，還有一些地方也有用于通勤的高速列車，如美國(guó)東部和韓國(guó)。

高速列車的優(yōu)點(diǎn)

一旦建成完善，與其他類型大容量公共交通相比，高速列車具有許多優(yōu)點(diǎn)。其中一個(gè)原因是，許多國(guó)家基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施的設(shè)計(jì)使公路和航空系統(tǒng)發(fā)展受限，無(wú)法擴(kuò)展，很多情況下是超負(fù)荷運(yùn)行。新型高速列車也可以實(shí)現(xiàn)大容量載客，其他運(yùn)輸系統(tǒng)的擁堵可能因此得到緩解。

高速列車還被認(rèn)為更節(jié)能，或者單位乘客里程能耗與其他交通方式持平。從載客能力上看，與公路小汽車相比，高速列車單位乘客占用的空間更小。此外，火車站一般比機(jī)場(chǎng)小，因此可在大城市內(nèi)設(shè)點(diǎn)，站間距離靠近，更方便人們出行。

高速列車的未來(lái)

高速列車的這些優(yōu)點(diǎn)使越來(lái)越多的國(guó)家著力發(fā)展高鐵。歐洲計(jì)劃到2025年大幅增加高速列車開(kāi)通數(shù)，歐盟還制訂了一項(xiàng)目標(biāo)，開(kāi)發(fā)跨歐洲高速列車網(wǎng)，以連通整個(gè)地區(qū)。從加利福尼亞到摩洛哥，再到沙特阿拉伯，高速列車的建造計(jì)劃遍及全球。高速列車是未來(lái)公交一種可行的出行工具，其地位越發(fā)重要。