Current record holder is the Shanghai Maglev, also known as the Transrapid, which has a top speed of 430km/h. It achieves this phenomenal speed by using an electromagnetic field to glide above the track, eliminating the drag caused by wheels.
The train operates between Shanghai and the city's Pudong International Airport, a distance of 30.5 kilometres, which it covers in eight minutes for an average speed of 228 km/h.
China also has the world's longest high-speed train service, operating between Beijing and Guangzhou. The fastest trains on this line make the 2298km journey in eight hours, for an average speed of just under 300km/h.
Although the journey by train takes considerably longer than the flight time between the two cities, when you factor in the time that the flyer requires for check-in and security clearance, baggage retrieval and travel time between airports and city centres – where the train terminals are located – the gap narrows.
Japan recently celebrated 50 years since its first bullet train rolled out, but it recently tested a brand new maglev that will reach speeds of more than 500km/h. Passengers, who entered a competition to ride the train during tests, were on board to travel the 42.8km route between Uenohara and Fuefuki. The maglevs are planned to be introduced to regular service by 2027.
In Europe, the fastest long distance train is Italy's AGV Italo, known as the Frecciarossa, operating along the rail corridor between Milan and Naples, with stops at Rome and Florence. This train set a world speed record of 574km/h in testing.
Although its speed in everyday operation is well short of that, it still travels in excess of 300km/h and covers the distance between Milan and Naples in 4½ hours. Naturally, the train is red.
