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Of course， trains can’t fly over oceans like airplanes. But that doesn’t mean trains can’t run as fast as planes. Fortunately， some trains in this modern world are as fast as planes.

9. ETR 500 Frecciarossa， 186.4 mph， Italy

ETR1 500 Frecciarossa2 is the fastest train service in Italy， operated by Trenitalia3 company. This service runs between Milan–Rome–Naples route and offers 72 connections daily. Today there are 28 non-stop Frecciarossa trains between Milan and Rome. At the top speed of 186.4 mph， a Frecciarossa will reach Rome from Milan in just 2 hours and 40 minutes. The cars of Frecciarossa trains are soundproof4 and offer free Wi-Fi.

8. SNCF TGV Duplex， 198.8 mph， France

TGV5 Duplex is the fastest train service in France. This powerful train can touch a maximum speed of 198.8 mph. The SNCF6 railway company operates this high-speed train service. TGV duplex started the service in December 2011. It is a double-deck， high-speed train that connects all the main cities in France. It is one of the most comfortable European trains that has a seating capacity7 of 508. TGV duplex has an eco-friendly design and a recyclability8 rate of 90%. The stiff passenger compartments in the train also ensure the safety in case of the collision.

7. Alstom Euroduplex， 198.8 mph， France

Euroduplex trains are the third series of TGV Duplex high-speed trains. The French railway company SNCF operates the Euroduplex train service. This service connects French， Swiss， German and Luxembourg rail network. This multi-system， double deck train can travel at a maximum speed of 198.8 mph. Euroduplex trains started the service in December 2011. This train can transport 1020 passengers at a time. The Alstom railway company9 designs the Euroduplex trains. Unlike the previous two generations， the Euroduplex trains are less in weight and have much-improved aerodynamics. It ensures low power consumption.

6. E5 Series Shinkansen Hayabusa， 198.8 mph， Japan

E5 series10 Shinkansen Hayabusa is the fastest high-speed train service in Japan today. This train service started on 5th March 2011 and operated by the East Japan railway company. The E5 series train operates between Tokyo and Aomori. At the top speed of 198.8 mph， E5 series Shinkansen would reach Shin-Aomori station from Tokyo （distance—444.28 mi） in just 2 hours and 56 minutes. The front car of the E5 series train has a 15-meter long nose. This design helps to minimize the sound and vibration while the train goes through the tunnels. The design of Hayabusa train is based on Fastech 360S high-speed train developed by the East Japan Railway company. The E5 series Shinkansen has ten cars and a seating capacity of 731.

5. Talgo 350， 217.4 mph， Spain

Spain’s Talgo 350 high-speed train operated by the state-run railway company. This high-speed train can achieve a maximum speed of 217.4 mph. The Talgo 350 runs between Madrid and Barcelona. This train has two driving cars and 12 passenger cars. It is also known as ‘Pato’ in Spain， named after its duck beak11 like the nose of the front car. This distinctive design of Talgo 350 is optimized to handle pressure waves.

4. Siemens Velaro E/AVS 103， 217.4 mph， Spain

Velaro E12 is the Spanish version of Velaro high-speed trains developed by German engineering company Siemens. In Spain， Velaro trains are named as AVS 103. The Velaro E operates between Barcelona and Madrid. Velaro E runs at a maximum speed of 217.4 mph. Velaro E trains can take passengers from Barcelona to Madrid in just 2 hours and 30 minutes. During trials， the Velaro E achieved a top speed of 250.84 mph. Velaro E has eight passenger cars and a seating capacity of 404.

3. AGV Italo， 223.6 mph， Italy

AVG Italo is the fastest running train in Europe. This high-speed train has a maximum operational speed of 223.6 mph. But during initial test， in 2007， AVG train set a record speed of 356.6 mph. The AVG Italo operates between Rome and Naples. The passengers of AVG Italo trains can travel between these cities （distance—140 mi） in just an hour.? AVG Italo has great eco-friendly structure， 98% of its parts are recyclable.

2. Harmony CRH 380A， 236.12 mph， China

China railways Harmony CRH 380A is the second fastest operating train service in the world. In commercial service， this electric， multiple unit trains can achieve a maximum speed of 236.12 mph. But it sets a record speed of 258.58 mph during initial tests. The technology to increase the maximum speed of the train was discovered through research carried out at various universities in China. The body is integrally welded13 with low weight aluminium alloy and is shaped with a fish-head like in the front. This unusual design of the train could reduce aerodynamic pressure on running. The bogies of CRH 380A are also entirely vibration free14. The CRH 380A trains can carry 494 passengers at a time. Each passenger will get facilities like the reading lamp， power port， and an electronic display. There is also a VIP sightseeing section near the driver’s cabin. It shows a view of the running train.

1. Shanghai Maglev， 267.8 mph， China

Shanghai Maglev is the fastest train in the world with a maximum operating speed of 267.8 mph. This service runs at Shanghai’s high-speed magnetic levitation line. Maglev is an abbreviation of magnetic levitation—suspension or floating of an object by the magnetic field. Unlike regular train tracks， Shanghai Maglev has no wheel， and it floats on magnetic field existing between the train and track. This electromagnetic pull offered by the powerful magnates lets the train to fly over the track as there is no contact between train and track. Shanghai maglev could reach its top speed of 267.8 mph from 0 mph in just 4 minutes. The Shanghai’s 18.95-mile long maglev line is the only commercially operated maglev in the world. It operates between Longyang Road and Pudong international airport. The Shanghai maglev only takes 7 minutes and 20 seconds to complete the whole journey. The total passenger capacity is 574. Also， the train operates in every 15 minutes. It cost US$8 for one ticket and US$16 for a VIP ticket to travel in Shanghai maglev.

列車固然不能像飛機一樣飛越海洋，但這并不意味著其速度不能像飛機一樣快。當(dāng)今世界，有些列車的速度已經(jīng)可以與飛機媲美。

第九名? 意大利ETR 500型紅箭特快，時速186.4英里

ETR 500 型紅箭特快是意大利速度最快的列車，由意大利鐵路公司運營。該列車在米蘭—羅馬—那不勒斯鐵路線上運行，每天72個車次。如今，米蘭和羅馬之間有28個車次的該型號直達列車，按最高時速186.4英里計算，從米蘭抵達羅馬只需2小時40分鐘。該列車配備隔音車廂，并提供免費Wi-Fi。

第八名? 法國TGV Duplex，時速198.8英里

TGV Duplex是法國速度最快的列車，最高時速達198.8英里，由法國國家鐵路公司于2011年12月開始運營。該列車為雙層高速列車，連接法國所有主要城市，是歐洲最舒適的列車之一，可乘載508人。該列車采用環(huán)保設(shè)計，可回收率達90%，客艙堅固牢靠，確保列車的碰撞安全性。

第七名? 法國阿爾斯通 Euro-duplex，時速198.8英里

Euroduplex是第三代TGV Duplex高速列車，由法國國家鐵路公司運營，連接法國、瑞士、德國和盧森堡鐵路網(wǎng)絡(luò)。這種多系統(tǒng)雙層列車最高時速可達198.8英里。該列車由阿爾斯通鐵路公司設(shè)計，于2011年12月投入運營，可乘載1020人。相較于前兩代列車，該列車重量較輕，空氣動力學(xué)性能得到很大改善，確保低功耗。

第六名? 日本新干線列車E5系“隼”號，時速198.8英里

新干線E5系電力動車組是如今日本速度最快的高速列車，由東日本旅客鐵路公司于2011年3月5日起在東京與青森縣之間運營，最高時速達198.8英里，從東京到新青森站（距離444.28英里）最快只需2小時56分鐘。該系列列車首節(jié)車廂車鼻長15米，有助于最大限度減少列車在穿過隧道時的噪音和振動。該列車設(shè)計基于東日本旅客鐵路公司開發(fā)的Fastech 360S高速列車，共有10節(jié)車廂，可乘載731人。

第五名? 西班牙Talgo 350，時速217.4英里

Talgo 350高速列車由西班牙國營鐵路公司運營，最高時速達217.4英里，在馬德里和巴塞羅那之間運行。該列車有兩個駕駛艙和12個乘客艙，由于首節(jié)車廂車鼻酷似鴨嘴，該車在西班牙也被稱為Pato（鴨子）。此獨特設(shè)計旨在最優(yōu)化處理壓力波。

第四名? 西班牙西門子Velaro E型列車AVS 103，時速217.4英里

Velaro E是德國西門子公司開發(fā)的一款高速列車，在西班牙，該車型被稱為AVS 103。該列車在巴塞羅那和馬德里之間運行，最高時速達217.4英里，從巴塞羅那抵達馬德里只需2小時30分鐘。試運行期間，列車最高時速曾達250.84英里。該列車有8個乘客艙，可乘載404人。

第三名? 意大利AGV Italo，時速223.6英里

AVG Italo是歐洲速度最快的列車，最高運行時速達223.6英里。2007年，該列車曾在初始測試中創(chuàng)下時速356.6英里的紀(jì)錄。該列車在羅馬和那不勒斯之間運行，單程（距離140英里）只需1個小時。該列車結(jié)構(gòu)非常環(huán)保，98%的部件可回收。

第二名? 中國和諧號CRH380A型電力動車組，時速236.12英里

中國鐵路和諧號CRH380A型電力動車組是全球速度第二快的運營列車。該多單元電力列車最高商業(yè)運行時速達236.12英里，初始測試期間還曾創(chuàng)下時速258.58英里的紀(jì)錄。該列車的最高速度提升技術(shù)是由多所中國高校聯(lián)合研究發(fā)現(xiàn)的。列車采用輕量化鋁合金車體，車頭呈魚頭狀，設(shè)計獨特，可降低運行時的空氣動力壓力，轉(zhuǎn)向架也大大提高了減震效果。該列車可乘載494名乘客，每個座位都配有閱讀燈、電源插座和一個電子顯示屏。駕駛艙后面還設(shè)有VIP觀光區(qū)，可以觀看列車運行的景象。

第一名? 中國上海磁懸浮列車，時速267.8英里

上海磁懸浮列車是世界上速度最快的列車，最高運行時速達267.8英里，在上海高速磁懸浮線上運行。磁懸浮是磁力懸浮的簡稱，指某一物體在磁場中懸浮或飄浮。與普通列車不同，上海磁懸浮列車沒有輪子，而是飄浮在列車與軌道之間的磁場上，由強大的電磁牽引在軌道上飛馳，和軌道沒有接觸。該列車從靜止?fàn)顟B(tài)提速到最高時速僅需4分鐘。全長18.95英里的上海磁懸浮線是世界上唯一一條商業(yè)化運營的磁懸浮線路，連接龍陽路和浦東國際機場，整段旅程僅需7分20秒。上海磁懸浮列車總載客量為574人，每15分鐘一班。普通單程票每張8美元，貴賓單程票每張16美元。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎選手）