These 10 High Powered Trains Leave Amtrak In The Dust
#10 Belgium's HSL-1 has been in service since 1997. The 186 MPH top speed means it takes less than 90 minutes to travel from Paris to Brussels.
#9 With a top speed of 190 MPH, a trip from Milan to Bologna on the The Italian ETR 500 is done in an hour.
#8 The Eurostar connects London to Paris. It can reach speeds of 199 MPH while traveling through the Channel Tunnel.
#7 The Spanish AVE Talgo-350 is the first on the list to break the 200 MPH barrier. Its 205 MPH top speed makes trips from Madrid to Barcelona go by in the blink of an eye.
#6 Taiwan's THSR 700T can transport nearly 1,000 people at breakneck speeds of up to 208 MPH.
#5 South Korea's KTX 2 may only carry 360 passengers, but the 219 MPH top speed means they'll get to their destination faster than they imagined possible.
#4 France's TGV Réseau ratchets up the top speed to an IndyCar-matching 236 MPH. However, normal running is limited to 199 MPH.
#3 Japan is known for the bullet train, so it's no surprise that the Shinkansen train has a top speed of 275 MPH. It has also been nicknamed the "Duck-Billed Platypus" due to its unique nose.
#2 The Transrapid TR-09 from Germany uses mag-lev technology, meaning this is technically a monorail. However, the 279 MPH top speed also makes this the second fastest train on the planet.
#1 Not ones to be outdone, China broke the 300 MPH barrier with the CRH380A. The 302 MPH top speed makes this the fastest possible way to legally travel by land.
