The fastest passenger trains in the world. All about the Sapsan train Average train speed

The speed of trains is divided into design, maximum, design, running, technical, sectional, route. The speed of cargo delivery is also highlighted.

Structural called the highest speed that the locomotive design provides. Maximum permissible It is customary to call the speed of train movement, which is allowed to develop on a section (direction) by the state of technical means (tracks, artificial structures, carriage chassis, brakes, etc.). Calculated is the minimum permissible speed at which a locomotive can travel along a design lift of unlimited length with a train of the maximum weight established for a given locomotive and lift. Each series of locomotive has its own design speed. Chassis speed is the average speed of a train without taking into account the time spent on stopping, acceleration and deceleration during stops, but taking into account constant restrictions when traveling through intermediate stations and other places where slowing down is required, km/h:

Where – section length, km; – the sum of the running times for the section without taking into account the time for acceleration and deceleration, h.

Obviously, the running speed cannot exceed the design and maximum (permissible) speed.

Technical speed is the average speed of the train without stopping, taking into account accelerations and decelerations. It is determined by dividing the distance between station stations by the time the train is in motion, including the time for acceleration and deceleration during stops, passing stations and other places with speed limits (km/h):

.

Precinct speed – the average speed of trains within the section, taking into account the time spent on stopping, accelerating and decelerating (km/h):

,

Where T uch - total time for the train to travel along the section, hours; – total time of train stops at intermediate stations of the section, hours.

To evaluate how successfully the technical speed is used in the graphics, the so-called speed coefficient is derived:

Route speed shows the average speed of the train along its entire route, km/h:

,

Where – distance covered by the train along its entire route, km;

All about the high-speed train "Sapsan". From the name to the outlet :)

Why was the Sapsan train called that, which railway launched the Sapsan first and why, why do they say “Sapsan high-speed train” and not just “Sapsan fast train”.

This page contains a description of the train, facts, figures and questions about the Sapsan.

Technical characteristics of the Sapsan train

The official name of the Sapsan train is Velaro RUS.

This is the Russian version of reliable trains that operate reliably on high-speed lines in Europe. The closest relative of Sapsan is Intercity-Express.

Manufactured by Siemens Corporation.

Temperatures from -50 to +40 degrees do not frighten him.

The length of the train is 250 m, consisting of 10 cars. (1 first class carriage, 1 business class carriage, 7 economy class carriages and a bistro carriage). Their manufacturing technology is closer to that of aviation, which is why Sapsan weighs less than conventional trains.

All technical devices “ride” either on the roof of the car or under it, and the space inside is completely given over to passengers.

Why was the high-speed train “Sapsan” called that?

There is a swift and beautiful bird - the peregrine falcon. When hunting, she can reach speeds of more than 300 km/hour. This is as rare for the bird world as the high-speed Sapsan train is for the railways we are used to.

The maximum speed of regular trains is up to 140 km/h.

How fast does Sapsan travel?

Technically, the train can reach speeds of up to 300-350 km/h, but on Russian railways it is still limited to 250 km/h.

The average speed of the Sapsan train on the St. Petersburg - Moscow route is about 200 km/h.

On the Okulovka - Malaya Vishera section, the maximum speed of the Sapsan train is 230-240 km/h.

Between Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod, the Sapsan reduces its speed to 160 km/h.

The speed of the train along the way can always be seen on a special display inside each car.

How long does it take the Sapsan to St. Petersburg?

The distance between Moscow and St. Petersburg Sapsan now travels from 3 hours 40 minutes. until 4.00 10 minutes, depending on the number of stops.

From August 2014, Sapsan will reduce travel time. It will be possible to get from one capital to another in 3 hours 30 minutes.

On the Moscow-Nizhny Novgorod route "Sapsan" the journey takes 3 hours. 55 min.

Where and when was the first high-speed train “Sapsan” launched?

On the Main Course of the Oktyabrskaya Railway, between Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Now you can choose whether to fly by air or by land: less than 4 hours from the center of one capital to the center of another without traffic jams or waiting at airports.

Safety near Sapsan

While moving at high speed, a strong air current is formed around the train, similar to, for example, a tornado. It is capable of capturing and pulling various objects under the composition. For this phenomenon, a person is also not a very large object.

If you are standing on the platform and hear the announcer’s warning about the passage of the Sapsan or the signal of the train itself, move away from the edge.

This phrase was not invented in vain. The safe distance is about 3 meters.

The width of the platforms varies, so the further you move away, the better.

We won’t even talk about the fact that you shouldn’t try to outwit a high-speed train and try to run across in front of it.

The braking distance of the Sapsan at a speed of 200 km/h is about 2 kilometers.

Is there Wi-Fi in Sapsan?

In business class carriages it is free, in economy class it is paid.

Payment - directly on the train:

• by bank card
• from a mobile phone account (for MegaFon subscribers)
• a special card that can be purchased from the conductor in the bistro car

How to return tickets for Sapsan?

The same as for any other train.

You can read more about the return rules, including e-tickets.

Rules for boarding Sapsan

Boarding begins 45 minutes before train departure.

Pre-boarding inspection of Sapsan passengers and luggage is carried out.

The speed of passage is no more than 1 minute per person.

It will not be possible to jump on the bandwagon of the outgoing Sapsan.

2 minutes before departure, the doors of all cars are blocked from the driver's cabin, an automatic check of the systems begins, without this the train will not move.

We wrote about what documents are needed to board the train.

Are there any benefits for Sapsan?

There are no benefits. There are discounts provided for Road and Universal cards.

Cards can be purchased at ticket offices or on the Sapsan train itself from the conductor of the bistro car.

There are also discounts on round trip travel when purchasing at the ticket office.

An electronic ticket with a 2% discount can be issued on our website.

Sapsan, services on the train

In first and business class carriages, the ticket price includes the latest newspapers, passenger hygiene kit, hot meals, 1 serving of alcohol, tea, natural coffee and other drinks without restrictions. Children will also not be left without attention and toys.

Economy class does not offer free services.

When ordering a ticket, you will see on the carriage diagram how each class differs.

Is there a toilet in Sapsan?

Yes. There are 13 bathrooms per train. The placement can be seen on the carriage diagram.

Are there sockets in Sapsan?

The sockets are standard; in business class they are located near each seat; in economy class there are 2 sockets per carriage.

You can recharge your phone, tablet or laptop.

Is it possible to smoke in Sapsan?

If you forgot things in Sapsan, please call:

Have you ever wondered when buying a ticket what is the difference between a fast train and a high-speed one, and an accelerated one from a branded one? Find out everything about the speed categories of trains and stop wondering which one is right for you.

Types of trains by speed

Train speed is a broad concept. There are running, technical, hauling and even commercial speeds, which are measured in different ways. We will talk about route speed, that is, the average speed at which the train travels a given route “from point A to point B.” Route speed is determined by standards for rolling stock.

According to route speed, trains are divided into several types.

• High speed.
• Express.
• Fast.
• Accelerated.
• Passenger.

High speed train

“And faster, faster than your will
The train is rushing in an open field..."

High-speed trains are the fastest, moving at speeds from 200 to 400 km/h. Such speeds require a special railway track. That’s what it’s called – a high-speed line. In Russia, such infrastructure projects have been actively developing since the mid-2000s. Today, high-speed rail links connect Moscow with other cities in Russia and Europe. Examples of high-speed trains.

• "Sapsan". It runs on the route Moscow - St. Petersburg at a speed of 250 km/h, and its top speed is 350 km/h.
• "Allegro". International train on the route St. Petersburg - Helsinki. Moves at a speed of 200–220 km/h.

Construction of a high-speed highway continues, which will connect the European part of Russia, the Volga region and Siberia along the Moscow-Kazan-Ekaterinburg line. It is expected that the length of the line will be more than 1,500 km, and train speeds will reach 400 km/h. In the future, the Moscow – Sochi route, along which high-speed trains will also run at speeds from 200 to 400 km/h.

High-speed train

The high-speed train has a route speed of more than 140 km/h. On certain sections of the route, the train speed can range from 100 to 200 km/h. Another feature of a high-speed train is a minimum of stops along the route to ensure the fastest movement. In everyday life, the difference between high-speed and high-speed trains is usually not made, especially since both categories require a modern railway track designed for high loads. Examples of high-speed trains are the famous “Lastochka” and “Strizh”.

• "Swift". It runs on the route Moscow – Nizhny Novgorod, reaching speeds of up to 200 km/h.
• "Martin" . Trains of this type connect Moscow with Nizhny Novgorod, St. Petersburg with Veliky Novgorod, and they also run in the Krasnodar Territory. Speed ​​140–160 km/h.

Express train

Its route speed ranges from 50 to 91 km/h. Technically, it travels at the same speed as a standard passenger train, but the number of stops on the fast train is fewer. It stops in major cities, at junction stations and at points where train crews change. Therefore, his average route speed is higher. Fast trains in Russia run long distances. The cost of a ticket is 10–20% higher than for a regular passenger ticket. Hundreds of fast trains run across the expanses of Russia. Here are some examples.

• "Sura". Its route lies between Moscow and Penza.
• "Lotus". One of the oldest express routes connects Moscow and Astrakhan.
• "Southern Urals" . Connects Moscow and Chelyabinsk.
• The names of fast trains can only contain the number and the end points of the route.
• 117N Novokuznetsk - Moscow.
• 015th Moscow – Volgograd.
• 069Ya Chita - Moscow.

Fast train

Accelerated trains are an unofficial category of freight trains with a special speed. Means that the train is moving at a higher speed than others carrying the same load. Expedited freight trains transport perishable goods. The name is unofficial; there is no such category of trains in the technical documentation or regulatory documents. The term does not apply to passenger trains.

Branded fast train

The branded category refers to the class of maintenance, service and material and technical equipment of the train, but not to the speed of its movement. A branded fast train is a train that has all the distinctive features of a branded one and has a route speed of 50 to 91 km/h. Branded fast trains are the most comfortable. They depart at a convenient time, have a guaranteed range of services and a high level of basic service; the conductors of such trains undergo special training.

A distinctive feature of a branded train is the proper name in the name. When purchasing tickets for a branded train, you need to look for the “fast” category. If it is absent, then the train belongs to the standard passenger category with a low route speed.

Examples of branded fast trains.

• "Kama" - Perm - Moscow.
• "Tomich" - Tomsk - Moscow.
• "Syktyvkar" - Syktyvkar - Moscow.
• "Vyatka" - Kirov - Moscow.
• “Ivan Paristy” – Bryansk – Moscow.

Passenger train

It is often called ordinary or standard. It has a route speed of up to 50 km/h, although the technical speed is comparable to a fast train. The movement of a passenger train is slowed down by the abundance of stops along the route. Despite their slow travel, such trains are in demand for two main reasons. Tickets are cheaper than express or branded tickets.

If you need to get to a small station or a small town, then it is more convenient to do this on a passenger train, since the ambulance may not stop at the right place.

A passenger train can be branded. Often the passenger category is omitted from the name of the train. That is, if the train is not fast, then it is a passenger train by default.

Currently, passenger trains are increasingly being replaced by fast, high-speed and high-speed trains.

Examples of passenger trains.

• 459В Tambov - Adler. Seasonal summer train.
• "White Nights" . Branded passenger train on the route St. Petersburg - Vologda.
• 353E Perm - Adler. Year-round passenger train.
• 479 A St. Petersburg - Sukhum. Seasonal passenger train for the summer-autumn period.

Life hack: how to determine the category of a train without a hint

Want to instantly navigate the train category? Look at the train number.

• High-speed trains have numbers in the range 751–788.
• High-speed trains are numbered in the range from 701 to 750.
• Fast trains are numbered from 1 to 298 and from 801 to 898.
• Passenger trains have numbers in the range from 301 to 698. Numbers from 451 to 598 indicate seasonal or one-time trains.

Japan

1. The Japanese were the first to tackle the problem of modernizing their railways. This happened at the end of the 50s of the last century. This was a necessary event in the run-up to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Because Japanese roads were archaic. The gauge was only 1067 mm, the tracks were worn out, and the locomotive fleet was outdated.

In record time, 5.5 years, the Japanese built the broad-gauge 552-kilometer Shinkansen line connecting Tokyo and Osaka. Here, for the first time in the world, technologies for seamless laying of rails were used: they are soldered into kilometer-long strings and in this form are delivered on a platform to the laying site. The geometry of the joints of these lashes is such that temperature changes do not lead to the formation of gaps between them.

2. Naturally, there are no crossings on the line, for which more than a hundred bridges and tunnels had to be built. The Shinkansen used a fundamentally new type of train, which was nicknamed the “bullet train” by journalists. The bullet train does not have a locomotive: an engine is mounted on each wheel axle, which allows for a significant increase in power.

In 1964, trains ran between Tokyo and Osaka at a speed of 210 km/h. Now the Nozomi N-700 electric train flies 552 km in 2 hours 25 minutes, reaching speeds of up to 300 km/h. Currently, the Shinkansen, which connects all major cities in Japan, is the most popular mode of transport. Over the 50 years of operation, the Shinkansen trains, running in the morning and evening hours at intervals of six minutes, have carried almost 7 billion passengers.

France

3. Europe responded to the Japanese railway breakthrough with a significant delay. This is partly due to the fact that European designers experimented with great enthusiasm in the 1950s and 60s with hovercraft and maglev, the name for magnetic levitation trains.

The decision to create a high-speed line similar to the Japanese one was made in France in the second half of the 1960s. It took the French National Society of Railways fifteen years to develop and launch the Paris-Lyon line, which was named TGV (train a` grande vitesse - high-speed train). Creating the route, although expensive, did not cause any particular problems for the engineers. It was more difficult to design the train itself. And then the global economic situation unexpectedly intervened in the plans of the designers. The fact is that at the first stage it was decided to use a gas turbine unit as the locomotive engine. In 1971, the TGV-001 turbo train was successfully tested, demonstrating excellent performance. It reached a speed of 318 km/h, which still remains a world record for trains without electric traction. However, the energy crisis that occurred in 1973 forced the SNCF management to abandon the use of sharply increased fuel in TGVs. There has been a reorientation towards the use of less expensive electricity produced at French nuclear power plants.

4. In the end, by 1980 the Paris-Lyon line was also ready. The electric locomotive and cars were produced by Alstom. On September 27, 1981 the line was put into operation. The train covered the distance between the two French cities in 2 hours, moving at a speed of 260 km/h. Now the speed on TGV lines covering Europe reaches 350 km/h. As for the average speed, it is 263.3 km/h. At the same time, rolling stock is constantly being modernized and new models are being created. On April 3, 2007, the new shortened TGV POS train reached a speed of 574.8 km/h on the new 106 km LGV EST line connecting Paris with Lorraine. This is an absolute record on a rail railway. At the same time, the braking distance was 32 km.

TGV POS type trains running in France, Germany, Switzerland and Luxembourg are reminiscent of Russian electric trains. They have two head motor cars, between which there are eight intermediate trailers. Number of places - 377.

5. Special requirements are imposed on high-speed routes in addition to the seamless connection of rails. The turning radius is at least 4000 m. The center-to-center distances of adjacent tracks are at least 4.5 m, which reduces the aerodynamic effect when passing two oncoming trains, the relative speed of which can reach 700 km/h. The tunnels through which the track passes are specially designed to minimize aerodynamic impact when entering and exiting the tunnel. A special alarm system is used on the driver's dashboard and automatic braking is provided in case the driver does not react quickly enough. The paths are securely fenced to prevent collisions with animals. To prevent the pantograph from catching up with the wave running from it along the contact wire, the wire has greater tension than on conventional lines. On TGV lines there is a speed limit, not at the top, but at the bottom. This is required to ensure that slow moving vehicles do not reduce the capacity of high-speed lines.

6. Oddly enough, there are no truly high-speed lines in the USA. Despite the fact that the trains traveling on the Washington-Baltimore-Philadelphia-New York-Boston route are manufactured by the French company Alstom. The maximum speed of trains in regular passenger traffic is 241 km/h. The route speed is lower: when traveling from end to end along the entire 735-kilometer route, it is 110 km/h. This is explained by the fact that high-speed French trains are forced to “drag” along the old track.

True, in 2013, construction began on a classic high-speed line between Los Angeles and San Francisco. It is scheduled to be operational in 2020, and TGV POS will be able to demonstrate everything they can do on it.

Germany

7. Intercity-Express - a network of high-speed trains, mainly distributed in Germany, developed by Deutsche Bahn. The current generation of Intercity-Express trains, ICE 3, were developed by a consortium of Siemens AG and Bombardier under the overall leadership of Siemens AG. The maximum speed of ICE trains on specially built sections of the railway network is 320 km/h. On standard sections of the network, ICE speed averages 160 km/h. The length of the sections where ICE can reach speeds of more than 230 km/h is 1200 km.

ICE is the main type of long-distance train service provided by German Railways (Deutsche Bahn). They provide both maximum speed and maximum travel comfort. ICE became the basis for the development by Siemens AG of its family of high-speed trains under the general Siemens Velaro brand. Velaro projects have been implemented, in particular, in Spain and China. These trains are also supplied to Russia for use on the Moscow - St. Petersburg and Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod high-speed lines.

Russia

8. The Moscow-St. Petersburg route, along which the Sapsan train travels, should be considered a conditionally high-speed route, since for the most part it is a slightly modernized legacy of the Soviet track system. In this connection, the train manufactured by the German company Siemens, capable of reaching speeds of up to 350 km/h, reaches 250 km/h in only one section. The average speed is 140 km/h.

By 2017, it is planned to make the route completely expressway. And then travel between the two capitals will be reduced from 4 hours to 2.

However, Russian Railways still set a record on this line. The contract amount for the purchase and operation of 8 trains exceeded 600 million euros. Purchasing the same number of fourth-generation fighters would be cheaper. Quite an expensive pleasure, allowing the “St. Petersburg” residents to visit their native land on the weekend.

China

China's expressways and high-speed roads include modernized conventional railway lines, new lines built specifically for high-speed trains, and the world's first commercial maglev train lines. As of December 2013, the total length of such roads in China was more than 14,400 km, including sections 7,268 km long, with a maximum train speed of 350 km/h.

China is currently experiencing a boom in high-speed rail construction. With government support and special incentives, the total length of the high-speed rail network is expected to reach 18,000 km by the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan in 2015.

In technological terms, the organization of high-speed rail traffic occurs through technology transfer agreements from reputable foreign manufacturers such as Bombardier, Alstom, and Kawasaki. By adopting foreign technologies, China strives to make its own developments based on them. An example is the development of the record-breaking CRH-380A series trains for China's high-speed roads, about 500 km/h, manufactured in China and reaching speeds in excess of 350 km/h, which have been in operation since 2010. It is also reported that the new Beijing-Shanghai train will be developed by the Chinese company Shagun Rail Wheels and launched before 2012.

Eastern Maglev

10. Magnetic levitation (maglev) trains can conditionally be classified as railway transport, although they hover above the track at a distance of 1.5 centimeters. In this class of express trains, the speed record is 581 km/h. It was installed in 2003 by the maglev MLX01 of the Railway Technical Research Institute of Japan at the test site. It is still not known about the timing of the introduction of the Japanese maglev into commercial operation. However, the trains are already flying reliably and without accidents, and residents of surrounding towns and villages are already taking them for rides on holidays.

11. Since 2002, a Chinese 30-kilometer high-speed line has been operating, connecting Shanghai with Padong Airport. This road uses a monorail, over which, after acceleration, the train hovers at a distance of 1.5 cm. The speed of the Shanghai maglev, built by the German company Transrapid (a subsidiary of Siemens AG and ThyssenKrupp), is 450 km/h.

In the foreseeable future, the Shanghai line will be extended to the city of Hangzhou, and its length will be 175 km.