It sounds breathtaking: a new train model can reach a speed of 450. Travel times are shortened significantly – by hours.
Munich – Reaching your destination extremely quickly by train – this is what many travelers dream of. In Germany, Deutsche Bahn has recently drawn attention to its problems: strikes in particular have repeatedly caused unpunctual trains or cancellations. Meanwhile, a new high-speed train is traveling in China at a speed of 450 km/h. It is still a prototype, but production and testing should be completed in 2024. The train is scheduled to go into operation next year at a reduced speed of 400 km/h. A milestone. The route between Munich and Hamburg could be completed in around two hours.
450 km/h fast: New super train could travel from Hamburg to Munich in under 2 hours
The new miracle train is called the CR450, reports the South China Morning Post citing the China State Railway Group. The technological innovation project started in Beijing three years ago. Now China's state railway company announced the breakthrough at its annual conference: On the route between Beijing and Shanghai – one of the busiest routes in China – the travel time is reduced from four hours to two and a half hours. The current high-speed trains can reach speeds of up to 350 km/h.
The CR450 EMU has already been hailed as the “fastest train in the world”. During a test run, the train set a speed record of 453 km/h on a bridge over Meizhou Bay, according to China Railway. The high-speed network in China is set to be massively expanded in the next few years. By the end of 2023, China's total rail network covered 159,000 kilometers, including 45,000 kilometers of high-speed network.
ICE 3 is Deutsche Bahn's fastest train
For comparison: The ICE 3 is the fastest Deutsche Bahn train. In Germany, trains travel at up to 300 km/h on some routes. However, there is a lack of infrastructure. There are no fast railway lines. An ICE train has to slow down again and again. This causes the average speed to decrease and travel time to increase. Every stop takes time.
If the ICE 3 were traveling in a fictitious developed railway network on the Munich – Hamburg route, the higher speed would also significantly shorten the travel time. At a fictitious speed of 400, the approximately 612 kilometers without stopping could probably be covered in under two hours.
Deutsche Bahn currently states that the fastest ICE connection on the Munich – Hamburg route is 5 hours and 55 minutes of scheduled travel time. Four intermediate stops are planned. The route takes the longest on the ICE, which according to the plan takes 10 hours and 13 minutes and serves a total of 18 stations between Munich and Hamburg (Source: bahn.de; As of: February 5, 2024).
With 37 connections per day, the travel time is quite different, as the examples show. The number of intermediate stops and transfers cause differences, as does the respective train model and its maximum speed. In addition, depending on the route, you can drive at different speeds.
ICE travel times: Hardly any speed on many routes in Germany
In Germany, there is still no nationwide high-speed network for express trains, the Pro-Rail Alliance criticized in June 2023. The alliance criticizes that the number of routes on which trains are allowed to travel at more than 200 km/h can be counted on the fingers.
In the summer of 2023, Deutsche Bahn present
ed a study on the expansion of high-speed transport (HGV) in Europe. In the version entitled “Metropolitan Network”, a total of 21,000 kilometers of rail network would have to be built and expanded across Europe. “The routes designed for HGV would almost triple from around 11,300 kilometers today (Eurostat 2019) to 32,000 kilometers by 2050. The network should enable speeds of 300 km/h,” says a statement from Deutsche Bahn on the expansion of high-speed transport (HGV) in Europe.
In Germany, the route expansion would increase to 6,000 kilometers if the route expansion were to include the routes already under construction and planned.
Bahn will probably have to cope with less money
Due to the chaos in the 2024 federal budget, the railway will also have less money than planned. It is initially unclear where the group will have to save money. Many projects are probably being pushed back in time.
In addition to the ICE, there could soon be another high-speed train on Deutsche Bahn's rail network: Italian Railways would like to soon send the Frecciarossa through the Alps to Germany. A comfort offensive is also planned. (ml)
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