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Odd - the title doesn't match the statement in the second paragraph. "The International Union of Railways [...] defines high-speed rail as lines [...] that are specially upgraded with speeds greater hhan 200 km/h or 124 mph."
But it then compares this with the start-to-stop average speed of Acela which isn't the same thing at all. As we know, Acela does manage to top 124mph a few times.
PullmanCo Member # 1138
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The fact of the matter is, we have very, very few miles of qualified HSR trackage.
We have more than what Denmark does, but we have far, far, far less than what Germany does.
RRCHINA Member # 1514
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And why is there Insult or Injury because our system is different?
There has been much discussion about HSR for the USA and why it is as it is. They have their priorities and ours are different. Unless your interests are focused on this issue only it is not that significant
Railroad Bob Member # 3508
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I went to China this July (2013) and took a ride on a "G" train. The on board speed recorder (that's right, volks) indicated a top speed of 360 km/h, which is slightly north of 220 MPH. Ride= glass smooth. OB service= sparkling. Lavatories= same as OB service. And this train line from Qingdao to Qufu was just built, with a minimum of fanfare, in 2011. The "old" line can be seen along the new bullet line, snaking around the hills while the new line tunnels straight through the hills.
The Chinese "Z" trains are even faster. And then there's the MagLev from Shanghai Pudong Int'l to the subway access to go downtown... sigh; different world, different rules. By the way, almost all the seats are full on these trains and you have a specific numbered seat, of course. At least 4 classes of service that I could see on my train, with corresponding price structures.
But I'm glad I live in the USA, even though our trains are slower...
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