Journey class

High-speed train journeys

Published high-speed corridors, grouped by the network that runs them, Shinkansen, China's national high-speed grid, and Europe's cross-city lines.

High-speed rail is a different kind of railway journey: chosen for the city pair, not the scenery. These pages record the route, the stops, the reservation rules and what the operator actually publishes about each service.

Where an operator does not publish a journey time, distance or speed, the field stays empty rather than being estimated.

39 published journeys · 5 groupings

Japan, Shinkansen10
China, the national high-speed grid11
Europe, city-pair corridors12
Korea and Taiwan3
Other high-speed journeys3

Featured journeys

Start with these

An Amtrak Acela trainset runs through the Northeast Corridor in daylight.

United States · Epic

Acela: Boston to Washington

America's only high-speed service, down the Northeast Corridor

7h · Amtrak

Epic
High-speed

Photo: 4300streetcar · CC BY 4.0

An Al Boraq high-speed train stands at Tangier Ville station.

Morocco · Engineering

Al Boraq: Tangier to Casablanca

Africa's first high-speed line, along the Atlantic coast

2h 10m · ONCF

Engineering
High-speed

Photo: Phil Richards from London, UK · CC BY-SA 2.0

A Madrid–Seville AVE service passes through the Andalusian landscape near Adamuz.

Spain · Engineering

AVE: Madrid to Seville

Spain's original high-speed line, Madrid to Andalusia

2h 35m · Renfe

Engineering
High-speed

Photo: Pablo Nieto Abad · CC BY-SA 2.0

10 journeys

Japan, Shinkansen

The original high-speed network, still the densest to travel as a visitor.

An E6 series Komachi Shinkansen crossing a bridge in autumn colour.

Japan · Scenic

Akita Shinkansen: Tokyo to Akita

A mini-shinkansen over the mountains to the Sea of Japan

3h 37m · JR East

Scenic
Engineering
High-speed

Photo: 掬茶 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Unbranded green-and-white high-speed train in the wooded landscape of southern Hokkaido.

Japan · Engineering

Hokkaido Shinkansen: Shin-Aomori to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto

Honshu to Hokkaido through the Seikan Tunnel

1h 01m · JR Hokkaido

Engineering
High-speed

AI-generated editorial illustration by Rail Atlas

An E7 series Shinkansen working a Tanigawa service on the Joetsu Shinkansen.

Japan · Engineering

Joetsu Shinkansen: Tokyo to Niigata

Across the spine of Honshu to the snow country

1h 29m · JR East

Engineering
High-speed

Photo: MaedaAkihiko · CC BY-SA 4.0

An N700-7000 series Sakura Shinkansen running in daylight.

Japan · Engineering

Kyushu Shinkansen: Hakata to Kagoshima-Chuo

The length of Kyushu in under ninety minutes

1h 19m · JR Kyushu

Engineering
High-speed

Photo: MaedaAkihiko · CC BY-SA 4.0

An N700S Kamome trainset on the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen.

Japan · Design

Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen: Takeo-Onsen to Nagasaki

Japan's shortest Shinkansen, opened in 2022

23m · JR Kyushu

Design
High-speed

Photo: MaedaAkihiko / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

An E7 series Hokuriku Shinkansen train crossing a viaduct above a rural valley.

Japan · Scenic

Hokuriku Shinkansen: Tokyo to Tsuruga

Over the mountains to the Sea of Japan coast

3h 06m · JR East

Scenic
High-speed

Photo: MaedaAkihiko · CC BY-SA 4.0

A 500 series Sanyo Shinkansen train runs through the countryside of western Japan.

Japan · Engineering

Sanyo Shinkansen: Shin-Osaka to Hakata

Osaka to Kyushu along the Inland Sea corridor

2h 21m · West Japan Railway Company (JR West)

Engineering
High-speed

Photo: JobanLineE531 at Japanese Wikipedia · CC BY 3.0

A JR East E5 series Hayabusa service standing at Morioka Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen.

Japan · Epic

Tohoku Shinkansen: Tokyo to Shin-Aomori

The length of northern Honshu at Shinkansen speed

2h 58m · JR East

Epic
High-speed

Photo: brian25_tw / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

An N700S series Shinkansen on the Tokaido line at Higashi-Tagonoura, with Mount Fuji rising behind it.

Japan · Engineering

Tokaido Shinkansen: Tokyo to Shin-Osaka

Japan's original high-speed line, still its busiest

2h 21m · Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central)

Engineering
High-speed

Photo: Takeshi Aida / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

An E3 series Tsubasa train of the Yamagata Shinkansen runs through open countryside.

Japan · Scenic

Yamagata Shinkansen: Tokyo to Shinjo

Japan's first mini-shinkansen, into the Yamagata hills

3h 40m · JR East

Scenic
High-speed

Photo: Original uploader was Jet-0 at ja.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0

11 journeys

China, the national high-speed grid

The world's largest high-speed network, by corridor.

Modern high-speed train crossing snow-covered northeast China plains between Changchun and Harbin.

China · Epic

Beijing to Harbin High-Speed Railway

Into the north-east, on a line built for deep winter

4h 52m · China State Railway Group (China Railway)

Epic
High-speed

AI-generated editorial illustration by Rail Atlas

Modern high-speed train crossing a broad river and loess landscape on the Beijing–Xi’an corridor.

China · Epic

Beijing to Xi'an High-Speed Railway

Two imperial capitals, joined at 300 km/h

4h 19m · China State Railway Group (China Railway)

Epic
High-speed

AI-generated editorial illustration by Rail Atlas

A CR200J3 train crossing Mianshan Bridge on the Emei–Guangtong section of the Chengdu–Kunming railway.

China · Scenic

Chengdu to Kunming High-Speed Railway

Sichuan to Yunnan across the mountains of the south-west

7h 30m · China State Railway Group (China Railway)

Scenic
Engineering
High-speed

Photo: 来斤小仓鼠吧 · CC BY-SA 4.0

A CR400AF-A high-speed train running on the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link.

China · High-speed

Guangzhou South to Hong Kong West Kowloon

Mainland high-speed rail into central Kowloon

47m · China State Railway Group (China Railway)

High-speed

Photo: 20001 · CC BY 4.0

Modern high-speed train in the karst landscape near Guilin on the Guiyang–Guangzhou corridor.

China · Scenic

Guiyang to Guangzhou High-Speed Railway

Karst country between Guizhou and the delta

4h · China State Railway Group (China Railway)

Scenic
High-speed

AI-generated editorial illustration by Rail Atlas

A high-speed train on the Lanxin high-speed line approaching Jiayuguan South in the Gobi.

China · Scenic

Lanzhou to Urumqi High-Speed Railway

High-speed rail along the Hexi Corridor

11h 30m · China State Railway Group (China Railway)

Scenic
Epic
High-speed

Photo: Liuxingy · CC BY-SA 4.0

Unbranded modern high-speed train crossing Jiangnan waterways on the Shanghai–Hangzhou corridor.

China · Excursion

Shanghai to Hangzhou High-Speed Railway

The easiest day trip on the Chinese network

45m · China State Railway Group (China Railway)

Excursion
High-speed

AI-generated editorial illustration by Rail Atlas

Modern high-speed train emerging from a tunnel in the forested Qinling corridor.

China · Scenic

Xi'an to Chengdu High-Speed Railway

Through the Qinling mountains, mostly in tunnel

4h 07m · China State Railway Group (China Railway)

Scenic
Engineering
High-speed

AI-generated editorial illustration by Rail Atlas

A CR400AF Fuxing train on the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed line.

China · Epic

Beijing–Guangzhou High-Speed Railway

North China to the Pearl River Delta, all of it at 350 km/h

7h 48m · China State Railway Group (China Railway)

Epic
High-speed

Photo: N509FZ · CC BY-SA 4.0

A CR400AF Fuxing trainset working service G6 departing from Shanghai.

China · Engineering

Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway

1,318 km between China's two great cities at 350 km/h

4h 18m · China State Railway Group (China Railway)

Engineering
High-speed

Photo: MNXANL / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

A CRH train leaving a tunnel on the Chengdu-Chongqing intercity railway at Jianyang.

China · Excursion

Chengdu–Chongqing High-Speed Railway

308 km across the Sichuan basin in about an hour

1h · China State Railway Group (China Railway)

Excursion
High-speed

Photo: Dingli35 · CC BY-SA 4.0

12 journeys

Europe, city-pair corridors

TGV, AVE, Frecciarossa, Eurostar and ICE routes between major cities.

Spain · Engineering

AVE: Madrid to Seville

Spain's original high-speed line, Madrid to Andalusia

2h 35m · Renfe

Engineering
High-speed

Photo: Pablo Nieto Abad · CC BY-SA 2.0

A Eurostar e320 train at Hoofddorp in the Netherlands.

United Kingdom → Belgium → Netherlands · Epic

Eurostar: London to Amsterdam

Three countries and the Channel Tunnel before lunch

5h 04m · Eurostar

Epic
High-speed

Photo: Rob Dammers · CC BY 4.0

An ICE train crossing a bridge at Strullendorf on the Berlin-Munich high-speed corridor.

Germany · Engineering

ICE Sprinter: Berlin to Munich

Germany's two biggest cities in under four hours

3h 55m · Deutsche Bahn

Engineering
High-speed

Photo: Reinhold Möller Ermell · CC BY-SA 4.0

A TGV Duplex runs at speed across the sunlit Provencal landscape on the LGV Mediterranee.

France · Scenic

TGV inOui: Paris to Marseille

Paris to the Mediterranean in three hours flat

3h 04m · SNCF Voyageurs

Scenic
High-speed

Photo: Jean-Louis Zimmermann · CC BY 2.0

Unbranded modern high-speed train crossing an Apennine viaduct on the Rome–Milan corridor.

Italy · Design

Italo: Rome to Milan

Europe's first private high-speed operator, Rome to Milan

2h 55m · Italo

Design
High-speed

AI-generated editorial illustration by Rail Atlas

Editorial illustration of an unbranded high-speed train crossing vineyard country in southwest France.

France · High-speed

TGV inOui: Paris to Bordeaux

Two hours and two minutes from Paris to the Gironde

2h 02m · SNCF Voyageurs

High-speed

AI-generated editorial illustration by Rail Atlas

A TCDD HT80000 high-speed train on the viaduct at Bilecik on the Ankara-Istanbul line.

Turkey · Engineering

YHT: Ankara to Istanbul

Anatolia's plateau to the Bosphorus by high-speed train

4h 10m · TCDD Taşımacılık

Engineering
High-speed

Photo: Kabelleger / David Gubler · CC BY-SA 4.0

A Renfe Class 103 AVE high-speed train, the type used between Madrid and Barcelona.

Spain · Engineering

AVE: Madrid to Barcelona

Spain's flagship high-speed corridor

2h 30m · Renfe

Engineering
High-speed

Photo: Peter elektro · CC BY-SA 3.0

A Eurostar train on High Speed 1 near Sellindge in Kent.

United Kingdom → France · Engineering

Eurostar: London to Paris

Under the Channel, city centre to city centre in 2h16m

2h 16m · Eurostar

Engineering
High-speed

Photo: Julian P Guffogg · CC BY-SA 2.0

Unbranded red high-speed train crossing the Florence-area countryside on the Rome–Milan corridor.

Italy · Design

Frecciarossa: Rome to Milan

Rome to Milan through Florence and Bologna

2h 45m · Trenitalia

Design
High-speed

AI-generated editorial illustration by Rail Atlas

An ICE train on the Lahn valley viaduct at Limburg on the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed line.

Germany · Engineering

ICE: Cologne to Frankfurt

A steep, fast hour through the hills above the Rhine

1h 05m · Deutsche Bahn

Engineering
High-speed

Photo: DIZer · CC BY-SA 3.0

An SNCF TGV crosses the Cize-Bolozon viaduct over open French countryside.

France · Engineering

TGV INOUI: Paris to Lyon

The line that proved high-speed rail in Europe

1h 43m · SNCF Voyageurs

Engineering
High-speed

Photo: Kabelleger / David Gubler · CC BY-SA 3.0

3 journeys

Korea and Taiwan

A KTX-Eum train on the Gangneung line at Jeongdongjin.

South Korea · Scenic

KTX: Seoul to Gangneung

Seoul to the East Sea across the Taebaek mountains

1h 55m · Korail (Korea Railroad Corporation)

Scenic
High-speed

Photo: Rsa · CC BY-SA 3.0

A Korail KTX-Cheongryong high-speed train running on the Gyeongbu corridor at Guro in Seoul.

South Korea · Engineering

KTX: Seoul to Busan

The length of South Korea in a morning

2h 15m · Korail (Korea Railroad Corporation)

Engineering
High-speed

Photo: Takeshi Aida · CC BY-SA 2.0

A Taiwan High Speed Rail 700T train on the elevated main line through green hills.

Taiwan · Engineering

Taiwan High Speed Rail: Taipei to Zuoying

350 km down Taiwan's west coast, turn up and go

1h 36m · Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC)

Engineering
High-speed

Photo: Rsa · CC BY-SA 3.0

3 journeys

Other high-speed journeys

United States · Epic

Acela: Boston to Washington

America's only high-speed service, down the Northeast Corridor

7h · Amtrak

Epic
High-speed

Photo: 4300streetcar · CC BY 4.0

Morocco · Engineering

Al Boraq: Tangier to Casablanca

Africa's first high-speed line, along the Atlantic coast

2h 10m · ONCF

Engineering
High-speed

Photo: Phil Richards from London, UK · CC BY-SA 2.0

A Haramain high-speed train running through open country between Makkah and Madinah.

Saudi Arabia · Engineering

Haramain High Speed Railway: Makkah to Madinah

Makkah to Madinah across the Hejaz at 300 km/h

2h 30m · Saudi Arabia Railways

Engineering
High-speed

Photo: Saudi Press Agency · CC BY-SA 4.0

Countries represented

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