Other high-speed projects High-speed rail in Europe

1 other high-speed projects

1.1 baltics
1.2 croatia
1.3 czech republic
1.4 ireland
1.5 poland
1.6 portugal
1.7 russia

other high-speed projects

several other countries in europe have launched or planned high-speed rail programmes. due geographic challenges, these projects remain national in scope foreseeable future, without international links existing high-speed networks.

the baltics

a north/south rail baltica line tallinn kaunas planned constructed starting in 2019 , in service 2026. line connect tallinn , kaunas via pärnu, riga , panevėžys, while providing connections airports , railway terminals. railway first high-speed, 1435mm standard gauge railway in baltics. kaunas, connected existing high-speed network in poland. project speeds 240km/h passenger trains , 120km/h freight traffic. 80% of construction costs (totalling ca. 5 billion €) covered european union, rest paid jointly estonian, latvian , lithuanian governments. indirectly railway may link helsinki, there plans tallinn-helsinki railway tunnel.

the project has been surrounded controversy in states, due environmental concerns , cost of project. according surveys conducted estonia, public support remains around 60%, percent higher amongst people living in tallinn , amongst people higher education, while percent drops in rural areas. controversy has surrounded choice of route, proposing railway should go through tartu , vilnius. has been dismissed large detours, increase cost , bring no sufficient benefit.

croatia

with highway construction programme in final stages, croatian parliament has passed bill build first high-speed line, new botovo–zagreb–rijeka line, initial maximum planned speed of 250 km/h. initially, however, train not exceed 200kmh due signaling system can accommodate speeds 200kmh. cost of new line estimated @ 9,244,200,000 kuna (approx. 1.6 bil usd). project include modernisation of current botovo-zagreb line , construction of new line between zagreb , rijeka.

also, pan-european corridor x, running slovenian border, through zagreb, serbian border future candidate high-speed extension line. modern croatian track, built 160 km/h , electrified , connects branch lines in croatia, rapidly growing croatian cities of slavonski brod , vinkovci, , pan-european corridor vc towards osijek , bosnia , herzegovina.

czech republic

czech railways have been running super city pendolino prague ostrava since 2005. pendolino capable of operating @ 230 km/h (143 mph), trains in service limited 160 km/h due speeds railways constructed for. these limits may raised in future 200 km/h (124 mph), last parts of 4th transit corridor (prague - České budějovice) projected 200 km/h (124 mph). railjet capable of 230 km/h , reaches speed in austria , germany likewise limited 160 km/h in czech republic.

the velim railway test circuit contains large 13.3-kilometre track maximum allowed speed of 230 km/h (143 mph) tilting trains , 210 km/h (130 mph) conventional trains.

the czech ministry of transportation planning high-speed rail network 660 km long. several studies of possible network have been completed, there have not yet been concrete proposals. there no expectations operation before 2020, czech railway infrastructure manager (správa železniční dopravní cesty) has special budget preparatory studies. there promotion side of ngos, e.g. centrum pro efektivní dopravu

both czech republic , german state of saxony have expressed interest in high-speed line linking dresden , prague via Ústí nad labem. line include tunnel through ore mountains , relieve congested dresden děčin railway through elbe valley, (2016) electrified line linking germany , czech republic , serves important freight link north sea ports. however, proposal bundesverkehrswegeplan 2015 (federal transportation plan) lies out german transportation priorities until 2030 not include line in highest priority category, making construction unlikely in near term.

ireland

ireland s fastest intercity service dublin cork intercity service, operates @ 160 km/h (99 mph). iarnród Éireann (irish rail) has bought new mark4 coaches caf of spain, have design speed of 200 km/h (120 mph). however, operated 10-year-old class 201 locomotives maximum speed of 160 km/h (99 mph). iarnród Éireann plan purchase powercars , upgrade route 200 km/h (120 mph) standard. on dublin belfast line, iÉ considering following options after 2020 (when life of existing de dietrich ferroviaire coaches have expired):

upgrading route 200 km/h (120 mph) new carriages journey times of 90 mins.
upgrading route 225 km/h (140 mph) tilting trains, cut times 60 minutes

poland


polish railways pendolino in wrocław, southern poland

today, main cities of poland linked railway transport reaching 160 km/h. on 14 december 2014, polish state railways started passenger service trains pkp pendolino ed250 operating 200 km/h speed on 80 km line olszamowice-zawiercie (part of railway line called central trunk line (cmk) warsaw katowice). line highest railway speed in poland. several other sections of central trunk line allow speeds of 200 km/h (with current speed record set pendolino train on 21 november 2013 in poland of 293 km/h). according recent plans of pkp-plk, sections of cmk between warsaw , gdańsk (145 km) , warsaw-kraków (additional 80 km) added present section no later december 2015. make 300 km of railways available speed of 200 km/h. other sections start operating @ 200 km/h in 2016.

polish railways many years did not possess rolling stock achieve speeds on 160 km/h. polish railways planned buy pendolino trains in 1998, contract cancelled following year supreme control chamber due financial losses polish railways. however, new contact alstom transport worth 665 million euros signed in may 2011 , since december 2014, 20 pendolino units service katowice/kraków - gdynia line , wrocław/warsaw line. however, pendolinos in poland not equipped tillting system, not useful on flat polish plains. lack of tilting system pendolino train along choosing alstom transportation despite domestic train producers subject of broad debate in media , polish railways heavily criticised purchase.

other current plans call y line connect warsaw, Łódź , kalisz, branches wrocław , poznań. geometric layout of line designed permit speeds of 360 km/h. construction planned begin around 2014 , finish in 2019. in centre of city of Łódź y line travel through underground tunnel link 2 existing railway stations. 1 of them, Łódź fabryczna, reconstructed underground station, work being scheduled start in july 2010. in april 2009, 4 companies qualified second phase of public tender prepare feasibility study construction of line. in april 2010, tender feasibility study awarded consortium led spanish company ingenieria idom. feasibility study project has been granted €80 million in subsidy european union. total cost of line including construction , train sets has been estimated @ €6.9bn , planned financed partially eu subsidies.

in december 2013, project delayed. however, Łódź fabryczna railway station central point of line in second phase of construction , largest such project in central europe. in november 2013 sławomir nowak, minister of transport , opponent of y-line dismissed , consultations y-line undergoing.

there many plans upgrade existing lines. y line links possibly extended berlin poznań , prague wrocław, upgrading existing lines.

the european train control system being introduced.

a warszawa-toruń-gdańsk high-speed railway in planning stages.

new rolling stock of home companies (newag, pesa bydgoszcz) have appeared in 2012 , 2013 such newag impuls train exceed speed of 200 km/h.

portugal

high-speed connections between spain , portugal have been agreed upon , planned, initial works had yet begin when projects cancelled in 2012. portuguese government had approved construction of 6 high-speed lines capital lisbon porto, porto vigo, aveiro salamanca, lisbon faro, faro seville , lisbon madrid, spain, bringing 2 countries capital cities within 3 hours of each other. since late 1990s, italian tilting train, pendolino, runs alfa pendular service, connecting portugal s mainland north border algarve, southern counterpart, @ speed of 220 km/h (140 mph). on 8 may 2010, portuguese transport minister signed off 40-year ppp covering construction of lisbon–madrid high-speed line. total cost has been put @ €1.359bn double-track standard gauge line lisbon spanish border. included broad gauge line portuguese port of sines spanish border. line expected open end of 2013 , reduce journey time between lisbon , madrid 2 hours 45 minutes, project cancelled in march 2012.

russia

two experimental high-speed trainsets (designed 200 km/h operation) built in 1974: locomotive-hauled rt-200 ( russkaya troika ) , er-200 emu. rt-200 set made experimental runs in 1975 , 1980 , discontinued due unavailability of chs-200 high-speed locomotive – delivered later. er-200 emu put regular service in 1984. in 1992 second er-200 trainset built in riga. both sets in operation till 28 february 2009.

instead of these outdated domestic trainsets, imported trainsets have been in operation since march 2009. siemens velaro trainsets have operated since 2009 between saint petersburg , moscow, @ speeds of 250 km/h (155 mph) , since 2010 between nizhny novgorod , moscow, service limited 160 km/h (99 mph). pendolino sm6, similar finnish high-speed trains, began operation in 2010 between saint petersburg , finland @ 200 km/h (124 mph).

in february 2010 rzhd announced shortly release proposal new high-speed line built parallel existing line between saint petersburg , moscow due congestion on existing line. in april 2010 confirmed new moscow–saint petersburg high-speed line length of 660 km , running speed of 400 km/h envisioned, cutting journey time 3h 45m 2h 30m. expected line include stops @ both saint petersburg , moscow region airports. on 28 january 2011, russia announced high speed rail link between moscow , saint petersburg finished on time 2018 fifa world cup. cost expected somewhere around 10 15 billion euros, not including land purchases, said denis muratov, general director of high-speed rail lines. state shoulder 70 percent of construction costs, remainder coming outside investors. of money come international financial institutions, including world bank , european bank reconstruction , development, muratov said. sberbank, vtb , veb may interested. in fact, construction of new moscow–saint petersburg high-speed line didn t start.

instead of it, on 13 may 2015 russian government announced china railway group ltd build 400 km/h high speed rail link moscow kazan 2018 in time 2018 fifa world cup kazan 1 of cities host of football matches. cost of moscow–kazan link estimated @ $21.4 billion. train travel moscow kazan, capital of republic of tatarstan, shortened 3.5 hours instead of more 14 hours takes now. opening date later changed 2020.