Fastest Train Routes by Top Speed

Route Rankings

These routes feature the highest operational speeds in regular passenger service. China and Japan lead in deploying cutting-edge high-speed rail technology on dedicated infrastructure.

#	Name	Value	Description
1	Beijing–Shanghai HSR	350 km/h	China's flagship HSR route restored to 350 km/h in 2017 with Fuxing CR400 trains, cutting travel time to 4.5 hours.
2	Beijing–Guangzhou HSR	350 km/h	The world's longest HSR line operates at 350 km/h with CRH380 and Fuxing series trains.
3	Paris–Strasbourg LGV Est	320 km/h	TGV services on the LGV Est reach 320 km/h, the fastest regular speed in Western Europe.
4	Madrid–Barcelona AVE	310 km/h	Spain's S-103 (Siemens Velaro) trains operate at 310 km/h on the Madrid-Barcelona corridor.
5	Tokaido Shinkansen	285 km/h	Japan's N700S trains run at 285 km/h with legendary reliability (average delay: 54 seconds per year).
6	Tohoku Shinkansen	320 km/h	JR East's E5 Hayabusa trains reach 320 km/h between Utsunomiya and Morioka, Japan's fastest segment.
7	Rome–Milan	300 km/h	Trenitalia's ETR 1000 Frecciarossa trains achieve 300 km/h on Italy's core high-speed corridor.
8	Ankara–Istanbul YHT	250 km/h	Turkey's YHT services operate at 250 km/h on the newest sections, with future upgrade plans to 300 km/h.
9	London–Paris Eurostar	300 km/h	Eurostar e320 trains reach 300 km/h on the LGV Nord in France and 160 km/h through the Channel Tunnel.
10	Seoul–Busan KTX	305 km/h	KTX-Sancheon trains operate at up to 305 km/h on South Korea's primary high-speed corridor.

Methodology

Ranked by maximum regular operating speed (not test records) on dedicated high-speed infrastructure during normal revenue service.

Quick Facts

Category	Route Rankings
Entries	10
Unit	km/h

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