How fast do these train run?

The first photo is a Siemens Velaro ICE3 high-speed electric multiple unit, with a top speed of 403 km/h (250 mph) in the colors of the German railway company Deutsche Bahn AG, DB.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siemens_Velaro

The third photo is the competing AGV (Automotrice à grande vitesse) high-speed trainset from Alstom with a top speed of 360 km/h (220 mph) in the colors of their only customer, Italian private train operator, NTV.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A...0_grande_vitesse#NTV

I have never travelled in Europe but know this information from following the latest electric train technology from Siemens, Alstom & Bombardier.

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

The second photo is of Alstom’s tilting-train, a British Rail Class 390 EMU in the colors of the private rail operator, Virgin Trains with a top speed of 140 mph (225 km/h), made by Alstom. . I speculate that it is meant to be used on existing tracks shared by both high-speed & non-high-speed passenger trains as tilting technology allows operation at higher speeds on curved tracks that are not built exclusively for high-speed operation as for Alstom’s AGV or TGV.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_390

The train on the right in the second photo from the end & in last photo is of  another variation of Alstom’s Pendolino is a class of high-speed tilting trains with a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph) in the colors of the Italian train operator, Trenitalia as their Class ETR600 / ETR610

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETR_600

I am not familiar with the train in the fourth photo. Is that a high-speed train?

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

The second picture is of a CrossCountry Class 220 Voyager built by Bombardier. The Class 220 has a maximum speed of 125 MPH.

Bob

Bob is correct. I was wrong. I was misled by the colors & didn’t look closer at the front-end of the train.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_220

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

Bill, hope you enjoyed your trip!

My job use to take me to Europe about once a year.  I never passed up a chance to take trains when I had the opportunity.

I was in Germany, November 2007, and took the ICE from Frankfurt to Bielefeld, a distance of about 200 miles.  Here's a couple of pics:

302 km/h comes out to about 188 mph.  One thing I remember about the trip is every time the train entered or left a tunnel you could feel the pressure difference!  

Jim

Thanks Jim, we saw the ICE in Copenhagen, real sleek looking train. Next time we're in Europe we plan on taking a few high speed train rides.

In the fourth picture, we have an Italian Ferrotramviaria ELT 207. Built by Alstom in 2008, these units are part of the builder's Coradia Meridian family of equipment. The units are used for services which are regional/local in nature and presently operate, I believe, at speeds of up to approximately 70 MPH.

I'll be back later with information on the two Italian trains in the fifth picture. Sorry I wasn't able to post everything at once but I'm posting in between a kazillion other things going on right now.

Bob   

Something to keep in mind when considering "modern" transportation....

How fast do these trains run?

Almost as fast as a DC-3. 

The fifth picture illustrates two examples of Italian high speed equipment. On the left is an E.414 locomotive. The E.414 class are operated in pairs with one at each end of Frecciabianca prestige trains. They were constructed in the mid 90s as E.404 class power cars for first generation ETR 500 trains. They were rebuilt to E.414 specifications beginning about 2006. Following this conversion, the maximum speed of the class is approximately 120 MPH.

Seen on the left is an ETR 600 set. This type of equipment was built by Alstom beginning in 2006. The maximum speed of the ETR 600 is approximately 155 MPH. A very similar ETR 610 is also in operation. The 610 type is suitable for cross border service as it is compatible with the electrification and signalling systems of Switzerland and Germany.

I hope this helps. Thank you for posting your pictures.

Bob  

When we discuss 'how fast do these trains run', I think we need to distinguish top speed (maybe theoretical) from top operating speed.

While the wiki post for the DB ICE notes that the top speed is 403 KPH, DB's brochure notes, "Deutsche Bahn’s modern Intercity-Express train, which reaches speeds of up to 320 km/h..."

Jim