France's new TGV line from Paris to Strasbourg has been inaugurated with much fanfare and repeated references to its high speed of 320 kph (200 mph). But wait: to travel the 186-mile distance it needs 2 hours and 20 minutes. A car doing an average of 60 will make it in 3 hours. Hurray for a savings of 40 minutes?
They are celebrating because the previous train system needed almost 4 hours - an average of 40 mph.
The Japanese Shinkansen regular service between Hiroshima and Kokura really flies: 120 miles in 44 minutes, 164 mph. This is the fastest regular service in the world. France has some catching up to do. And most other countries are decades behind the French!
Average speeds, that is the total time for the passenger including stops and transfers, are very difficult to obtain. Basically you have to look at the real timetable to see when you actually get on the first train and when you arrive at your last stop.
What's the point of having a train that goes 360 mph - France's recent world record for a non-Maglev train (using conventional wheels-on-rails technology) - if the tracks and the frequent stops prevent it from using all that speed?
In 2002 I was careful to choose the sleek intercity train from Frankfurt to Munich. Nice interior, but it creaked along just like a regular train most of the way. Hello? Anybody home in techno land?
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