High Speed Rail Link

[KNG]

Hey everyone. I was just wondering where all the high speed rail routes, trains that can go up to 250 kph, are in Europe.

I know it is a random question, but I am just completing a project to investigate the modernisation of train routes in Europe.

Thank You

 

[gordonthemoron]

Munich-Nuremburg via Ingolstadt
Cologne-Frankfurt (avoiding Bonn)
Hamburg-Berlin
Hanover-Berlin via Wolfsburg

 

[KNG]

Gordonthemoron, Thanks for the information, I was also wondering where you gathered this information, do you work as a controller? If so that is brilliant, If I may ask a few more questions,
1. What type of trains run on these tracks?
2. Do Freight trains run onthsi track?
3. If so, do the Freight Trains run during the day as well as the night?
4. Do the freight trains actually run on the high speed train tracks or do they run on a separate set of tracks next to the High speed tracks

Thanks again

 

[velaro]

There are high speed lines in many European countries, not just in Germany as the post above suggests. This is probably not a bad start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-speed_rail_in_Europe

A lot of high speed lines are dedicated (for instance, all such lines in France), but I'm not sure if all of them are. By the way, some services regularly travel at over 300 kph.

 

[KNG]

Thanks Velero, the info on wiki was very useful, I am really interested about whether you can run heavy freight trains on the same lines as High Speed lines. If it is possible, where have they implemented this?

 

[velaro]

Hmm ... I suppose you could run the freight trains at night when there are no or few passenger services, but there would be problems - for instance, many high speed lines feature steeper gradients than most freights could handle.

I've never heard of anyone actually running heavy freight on high speed lines. The closest things I can think of are:
-In France, the 'TGV postal' mail train runs on the high speed lines at up to 270 kph.
-In Germany, a high speed freight train based on the ICE 1 (called ICE-G) was considered but never built.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Gordonthemoron, Thanks for the information, I was also wondering where you gathered this information, do you work as a controller? No, just a passenger. I have been on all these routesIf so that is brilliant, If I may ask a few more questions,
1. What type of trains run on these tracks? ICE
2. Do Freight trains run onthsi track? Possibly, non high speed trains passenger certainly do
3. If so, do the Freight Trains run during the day as well as the night? No idea
4. Do the freight trains actually run on the high speed train tracks or do they run on a separate set of tracks next to the High speed tracks Again, no idea. However all of the tracks mentioned are twin so they may use alternate routes

Thanks again

 

[Siggi155]

Gordonthemoron, Thanks for the information, I was also wondering where you gathered this information, do you work as a controller? If so that is brilliant, If I may ask a few more questions,
1. What type of trains run on these tracks?
2. Do Freight trains run onthsi track?
3. If so, do the Freight Trains run during the day as well as the night?
4. Do the freight trains actually run on the high speed train tracks or do they run on a separate set of tracks next to the High speed tracks

Thanks again

Hi, I know I am very late. But to complete Gordenthemoron's statements, I wanted to say somthing about german high speed lines:

1. All kinds of trains are allowed to run on these lines, exept the HSL from Frankfurt to Collogne and from Nurnberg to Ingolstadt (to large gradients). On the Collogne - Frankfurt HSL only special equipped or vehicles with all-wheel-drive are allowed to drive these. On the Munich to Ingolstadt line you can find all kinds of ICE and some loco-wagon-passenger trains. The line from Ingolstadt to Munich and the line from Berlin to Hamburg are correctly just "speed-boosted" old lines.
There is no high speed freight like TGV Postale in Germany, so all freight trains running the HSLs are regular ones. The speed ranges from 100 to 140 kmph, which is the highest permitted speed for regular freight in Germany. There is only one overnight parcel service for DHL running the Hannover - Wurzburg HSL at 160 kmph (100 mph). These are regular container carriers, but they are equipped with electro-pneumatic disk brakes, hauled by two Taurus locos (DB Class 182).

2. and 3.: On the follwing two german high speed lines freight trains usually run at night only, mostly between 23 and 5 o'clock: Hanover - Kassel - Wurzburg, and Mannheim to Stuttgart. It's not allowed that a freight train and a train driving faster than 160 kmph (100mph) are meeting inside of one of the many tunnels. Freight trains by day are very rare.
On the lines Hannover to Berlin and Hamburg to Berlin you can watch a wide range of freight trains the whole day. There are no tunnels on these lines.
The lines Nurnberg to Ingolstadt and Cologne to Frankfurt are traced with too huge gradients, so freight trains aren't able to negotiate these.
I know that in France there are no freight trains allowed to run the hight speed lines there, exept the little channel tunnel piece (I don't know if it's really called a high speed line).

4. All the lines are double-tracked and electrified, exept the line Lehrte (Hannover) to Berlin. Some sections of this line are triple tracked, but the extra track is non-electrified. To most of these high speed lines there is an old railway line running parallel, but most times not dirctly parallel. High speed lines in germany are mostly traced through woodland and pampa-no-man's-land.

My recources: I am a freight train driver and I am often driving the high speed lines from Hannover to Kassel myself, and sometimes from Hannover to Berlin, too (see http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=YK-sa9HbbRk)

 

[andersley]

Very interesting Siggi. Lots of information there which I had not heard before. Many thanks!