One notable and growing long-distance train category in the world is High-speed train. Generally they are faster than 200 km/h (124 mph) and often use new separate passenger-only line of high grade standard. Shinkansen in Japan opened in 1964 is the first successful example of newly constructed High-speed train. The fastest train on rails is the French TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) (French for High Speed Train) which achieved a speed of 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph) in testing in 2007. The fastest commercial speed on rail is currently 350 km/h (217 mph) of Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Rail in China. TGV runs at a maximum commercial speed of 300-320 km/h (186-200 mph), as does the German ICE. Generally, High-speed rail is very competitive in less than 3 or 4 hours distance (ex; Tokyo – Osaka in Japan, 500 km (310 miles), 2h 30min, Paris- Lyon in France, 500 km (310 miles), 2h) in corridor of dense population, but often air has advantage in longer journey. [3] Very fast trains sometimes tilt, like the APT, the Pendolino, or the Talgo. Tilting is a system where the passenger cars automatically lean into curves, reducing the sideways g-forces on passengers and permitting higher speeds on curves in the track with greater passenger comfort.
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