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This article lists planned or proposed high-speed rail projects, arranged by country. Although many nations have done preliminary feasibility studies, many lines are eventually shelved or postponed due to high cost, and only a few nations of those proposing are actively building high-speed rail lines. Planned or proposed lines are therefore separated here from lines that are under construction, some nations having both. High-speed rail is public transport by rail at speeds in excess of 200 km/h (125 mph).
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Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia
According to Yacine Ben Jaballah, General Director of National Company of Rail Transportation (SNTF) in Algeria, a trans-Maghreb high-speed rail line linking Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria is being planned. The project is expected to begin in Morocco and move towards Algiers, and finally reach Tunis. In March 2011, contracts were awarded for a 130 km (81 mi) section of railway between Oued Tlélat and the Moroccan border. Running speeds will be 220 km/h (137 mph).
South Africa
On the 7th of June, 2010, Minister of Transport Sbusiso Ndebele said that plans were seriously being considered for a high-speed line from Johannesburg to Durban. The line would reduce the current journey time from 12h to about 3h. The 721 km line would involve major engineering challenges, including traversing the Drakensberg mountains. A high-speed line from Johannesburg to Cape Town is also under study.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh considered building a high speed rail link between Dhaka and Chittagong in 2005. The government short-listed France's SNCF and Japan Railways for the project. But the plan was then shelved.
Spain and China have recently expressed interests in developing the Bangladesh Railway into a high speed network.
Gulf Cooperation Council
The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia) plan a 2200 km rail network, Etihad Railway, which may include high-speed rail from Dubai to Abu Dhabi.
The government of Qatar has announced it intends to have high-speed rail links to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia built in time for its hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
India
While high-speed rail is neither in service nor under construction in India, the Indian government has expressed interest to construct about 4,500 km (2,800 mi) route length tracks of High Speed Rail lines over six corridors with a speed of 200 km/h (120 mph). The government of Kerala state is also has expressed interest in constructing a high-speed rail corridor from Kasargod in the north, to Thiruvananthapuram in the south; work on the corridor could begin in 2020.
There has been an initial proposal by government of Odisha regarding feasibility of implementing super high speed rail links between Bhubaneswar and Berhampur with a rail link distance of 144 km. The proposed average speed of HSR should be not lower than 155 mph (249 kmh)bring travel time down to 40 minutes from 3-1/2 hours.
Formation of National High Speed Rail Authority(NHSRA), a body that will look after the implementation on High Speed Rail in India had been announced in Rail budget of 2012-2013, although no firm date has been set for construction initiation or completion. Central Japan Railway Company has promoted the Shinkansen for India, while France has also shown interest in collaboration for long-term development of the Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad route. Spain's Talgo has also expressed interest in the projects, and plans to open an office in India to promote its technology. The current conventional lines between Amritsar-New Delhi, and Ahmedabad-Mumbai runs through suburban and rural areas, which are flat, therefore have no tunnel. Ahmedabad-Mumbai line runs near the coast therefore have more bridges, and parts of it are in backwaters or forest. The 1987 RDSO/JICA feasibility study found the Mumbai-Ahmedabad line as most promising.
Maharashtra state government has proposed a link between Mumbai and Nagpur which will be good for development of the state railway. This project's cost is estimated ₹ 60,000 crore. The government also wants a corridor which will connect to Navi Mumbai International Airport.
On 12 December 2015, India and Japan signed a deal for a US$15 Billion deal to build a high-speed line between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Japan will provide a very low interest loan of US$12 billion. This deal was part of a greater MoU involving transfer of defence technology and civil nuclear cooperation among others.
Talgo also offered its coaches free-of-cost for a test run on the Indian tracks, the tests were carried out successfully during September and October 2016 with an Indian WDP4 Locomotive hauling a rake of Talgo coaches at speeds of up to 180 kmph on various routes across India.
Indonesia
Since 2006, Indonesian authorities have expressed an interest in high-speed rail for the densely populated island of Java, probably linking the cities of Jakarta, Bandung, and Surabaya. Since 2008, government with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan Transportation Consultant has done pre-Feasibility study. The Jakarta-Surabaya 685 kilometers fast train will connect both cities in 2 hours 53 minutes with maximum speed 300 kilometers/hour and average speed 250 kilometers/hours. The construction project will need US$14.3 billion, exclude land acquisitions and detail engineering design, so the total cost predicted was $20 billion.
In July 2015, Indonesian Government revealed their plan to build high-speed rail in Indonesia. Japan and China competed to win the project, previously both nations have done comprehensive studies on the project. On late September 2015, Indonesia awards this multibillion-dollar railway project to China. On 16 October 2015, Indonesia and China signed an agreement to build Jakarta to Bandung high speed rail. Groundbreaking has been done on January 21, 2016. The HSR is project of 60 percent of Indonesian consortium and 40 percent of China Railway International. The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail is planned to begin its operations to public in 2019.
Japan (maglev)
A Japanese consortium led by the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) has been researching new high-speed rail systems based on magnetic levitation since the 1970s. Although the trains and guideways are technologically ready and over 100,000 people have ridden them, high costs remains as barriers. Pre-series L0 series trains on the Yamanashi Test Line have reached speeds of 603 kilometres per hour (375 mph) (crewed), making them the fastest trains in the world. The Yamanashi test track is to be incorporated into the eventual Tokyo – Osaka maglev route, called the Chuo Shinkansen. There has been preliminary approval for the Nagoya - Tokyo section with planned completion in 2027. The route is to be privately financed through bond sales by JR Central, but the intermediate stations will be financed by local governments. Construction of extensions to the Yamanashi test track is ongoing, and final routing of the line is being litigated. The Nagoya - Osaka section is projected to be completed in 2045, but no firm planning is underway. JR Central expects at least 8 years between the completion of the Tokyo section and the start of construction of the Osaka to rebuild its financial position. The federal government is exploring options to accelerate the project.
Extensions to the current network expansions, notably from Hakodate to Sapporo, have been approved for construction. The route of the final extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen has not been finalised. It is ultimately to provide a northern route through to Osaka
Kazakhstan
Qazaqstan Temir Zholy, the national rail company of Kazakhstan, has awarded a contract to oversee the design and construction of a high-speed line from Astana (the country's capital) to Almaty (its largest city). The line is expected to be 1,011 km (628 mi) long, and will travel via Karaganda and Balkhash. A 10 km (6.2 mi) viaduct across Lake Balkhash is planned near Sayaq. The trains are expected by be built by Tulpar-Talgo (a joint venture established in 2011 between Qazaqstan Temir Zholy and Spanish company Talgo), and will have a maximum speed of 250 km/h (155 mph), completing the trip in five and a half hours. The system will use Russian gauge, the same as used by Kazakhstan's existing conventional lines.
Iran
Iran has a high-speed rail under construction connecting three major cities of Tehran, Qom and Isfahan.The line will have a station in Imam Khomeini International Airport. The route length will be 422 km (262 mi) with the operating speed of 350 km/h, decreasing the travel time from 5 hours to 90 minutes. The project costs over 7 billion Euros and will be open in 2018.
Another high-speed rail is planned to link Tehran the capital to Mashhad the second largest city in Iran. If done the route will have 800 km rail and the speed of 400 km/h which will decrease the travel time from 8 hours to 3.5 hours.
Saudi Arabia
The Haramain High Speed Rail project also known as the "Western Railway" or "Makkah-Medina high speed railway", is a 453 km (281.5 mi) (449.2 km of main line, plus a branch connection to KAIA airport: 3.75[2]) high-speed inter-city rail transport system under construction in Saudi Arabia.[3] It will link the Muslim holy cities of Medina and Mecca via King Abdullah Economic City, Rabigh, Jeddah, and King Abdulaziz International Airport. It will connect with the national network at Jeddah.
36 Talgo 350 SRO trains have been ordered, one of this is a VIP Dual (hybrid) to the Saudi royal family for up to 20 or 30 people; they will run at 300 km/h.The propulsion and bogies would be made at Bombardier factories in Spain.The project will be open in 2018
Laos
Plans have been published to build a high-speed railway between Vientiane and China, where it will link to Chinese high-speed railways. Construction is said to start already during 2011. Vientiane is located close to the Thai border where are plans of a high-speed railway to Bangkok. These plans have been put on hold by China and Thailand has changed its priority routes after its new administration was elected. It will involve the construction of 154 bridges, 76 tunnels, and 31 train stations.They had ground breaking at end December, 2015. The maximum speed will be about 170 kph.
Malaysia and Singapore
A high-speed rail running at 300 km/h (186 mph) to link Kuala Lumpur and Singapore was proposed in 2006 by YTL Corporation, operator of the KLIA Express in Malaysia, although the company did propose a similar system back in the late 1990s. A Bangkok - Kuala Lumpur - Singapore line spanning the three nations has been suggested previously, though no action has been taken. Plans for the project were put on hold in April 2008 due to high cost to the government, estimated at about RM8 billion. The project also faces opposition from rail operator rivals such as Keretapi Tanah Melayu, and the liberalisation of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore air route further dampened prospects for the proposal.
In 2007, Siemens expressed interest in becoming the technology provider for the proposed rail link. By the middle of 2009, YTL again revived talk on the project and expressed hope that the Malaysian government would relook at the proposal, claiming that delays in the project has caused development costs to rise over the years.
In 2010, Malaysia had made a proposal to revive the project. In the new proposal, the route will be in two phases; the first one is from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore while the second phase will be from Kuala Lumpur to Penang.
On 19 February 2013, Singapore and Malaysia announced that they officially agreed to build a high-speed rail link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore by 2020. The KL - Singapore section will be about 380 km long with an expected travel time of 90 minutes.
The high-speed railway terminus for Singapore will be located in Jurong East at the Jurong Country Club site while the terminus for Malaysia will be located at Bandar Malaysia in Sungai Besi.
Myanmar
Plans have been published to build a high-speed railway between Rangoon and Kunming in China, a distance of 1920 km. Construction is said to start already during 2011.[11] After the crashes in China it has been on hold.
Philippines
San Miguel Corporation will be proposing to the Philippine government of building a bullet train system connecting Laoag City in the northern part of Luzon island, passing through Manila, and finally ending in the Bicol Region in Southeastern Luzon. With this, the Philippines will be giving Vietnam a challenge as the first Southeast Asian country to build a bullet train system. However, this project had been put on hold.
In April 2013, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) announced that Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC) plans to fund the Clark-Metro Manila high-speed train project under a Build-Operate-Transfer scheme. The project will be called "Express Airport Trains" which will have at least three stops in Metro Manila and will be built between the lanes of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx). The planned stops are in Quezon City, Manila, and Makati City.
Thailand
The State Railway of Thailand and the Thai Ministry of Transport have plans for several high-speed rail lines. In October 2009, it was reported that funding was being sought for four lines, linking Bangkok to Chiang Mai (711 km), Nong Khai (600 km), Chanthaburi (330 km), and Padang Besar (983 km). In November, it was reported that the Thai cabinet had approved the plan, with the shorter route to Chanthaburi being intended for construction first. The total cost of all routes are 800 billion baht or US$25 billion.
In October 2010, the Thai parliament approved initial proposals for a high-speed rail network to be built with Chinese industrial partners; 5 lines capable of 250 km/h would radiate from Bangkok. After the new election of Shinawatra, plans for Bangkok-Korat and Pattaya-Bangkok-Hua Hin have been pushed over the former 5 routes. In May 2015, Transport Minister Prajin Juntong and his Japanese counterpart Akihiro Ota had signed a deal on 27 May 2015.
Vietnam
Vietnam's national railway company, Vietnam Railways, has proposed a 1,630-kilometre (1,013 mi) high-speed rail link between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, capable of running at 250 to 300 km/h (155 to 186 mph). The funding of the $56 billion line would mostly come from the Vietnamese government, with the help of Japanese aid. Technology used on the Japanese Shinkansen has been suggested to be used for this new railway.
Current technology allows trains travelling on the current, single-track Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City line to complete the journey in approximately thirty hours. Once completed, the high-speed rail line would have 2 parallel standard gauge tracks with no direct road crossings, and would allow trains to complete the Hanoi–Ho Chi Minh City journey in approximately 6 hours. The existing line uses narrow gauge tracks common in Southeast Asia.
Vietnamese prime minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng had originally set an ambitious target to complete the line by 2013, three years sooner than the previously announced nine-year construction time. Later reports suggested Japanese development aid would only be available in stages, with completion of the line not expected until the mid-2030s; the same reports asserted that aid would be conditioned upon the export of Shinkansen technology. On June 19, 2010, after a month of deliberation, Vietnam's National Assembly rejected the high-speed rail proposal due to its high cost, leaving the project's future in doubt; National Assembly deputies are said to have asked for further study of the project.
In January 2011, Vietnamese Minister of Transport, Hồ Nghĩa Dũng, suggested the line might be completed by 2030. The length of the proposed line was listed as 1555 km long with trains running at 300 km/h. After the rejection of the original plan by the house of deputies, Minister Dung has asked for a new feasibility plan by the end of 2011, whilst the Japanese development agency has suggested an interim solution where the line could be built to separate north and south sections.
Denmark
Norway
The regional projects near Oslo have higher priority than the long-distance projects. They are also preconditions for the long-distance projects, since they will be used by long-distance trains.
Poland
Russia
Vladimir Putin announced plans to build a 770 km high-speed rail line that would connect Kazan and Moscow at the Economic Forum at St. Petersburg in 2013. Plans for the railroad estimate that it will be the first true high-speed line in Russia with trains operating at up to 400 km/h, reducing travel time from 13 hour to 3.5 hours. In comparison, trains on the Moscow–St. Petersburg line run at up to 250 km/h.
Sweden
Many of the newly built railway lines in Sweden are adapted for speeds up to 250 km/h as Botniabanan, Grödingebanan, Mälarbanan, Svealandsbanan, Västkustbanan, Vänernbanan (Gothenburg - Trollhättan). The problem that is slowing down high-speed rail in Sweden is the present signaling system (ATC), which does not allow speeds over 200 km/h. It can be upgraded, but it will not be done since it shall be replaced by the European signaling system ERTMS level 2 on major lines in the near future, allowing high speeds up to 250 km/h. ERTMS level 2 has been installed and is being tried out on Botniabanan, and that railway allows 250 km/h, although no passenger train goes above 200 for now. The train set X55-Regina has been delivered to the rail company SJ with the max speed of 200 km/h but with the option to upgrade the EMU to 250 km/h when possible. Also the mix with freight trains slow down the practical speed.
There are four major high-speed projects proposed in Sweden with speeds between 250 and 350 km/h.
The three first listed, but not Europabanan, have been prospected in detail by Trafikverket. In several cases the detailed alignment has been decided. The Swedish Liberal government decided in 2012 to have construction start for Ostlänken in 2017, but with mostly max 250 km/h, after putting all projects on hold in the budget of 2011. There is no funding for Trafikverket, The Swedish Infrastructure Agency, to start building the other projects before 2021.
United Kingdom
High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway to directly link the city centres of: London, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester, with an estimated cost of £43 billion.
Construction work on the first phase of HS2 is set to begin in 2017 with an indicated opening date in 2026, while completion of the entire network is expected in 2033.
Canada
Although Canada does not currently have high-speed rail lines, there have been two routes frequently proposed as suitable for a high-speed rail corridor:
A possible international high-speed rail link between Montreal and Boston or New York City is often discussed by regional leaders, though little progress has been made. On another international line between Vancouver and Seattle, work is in progress to improve the existing Amtrak Cascades service, though it will not reach speeds normally associated with high-speed rail.
Mexico
The Secretariat of Communications and Transport of Mexico proposed a high-speed rail link that would transport passengers from Mexico City to Guadalajara, Jalisco, with stops in the cities of Querétaro, Guanajuato, Leon and Irapuato; and a connected line running from the port city of Manzanillo to Aguascalientes. The train which would travel at 300 km/h allows passengers to travel from Mexico City to Guadalajara in just 2 hours at an affordable price (the same trip by road would last 7 hours). The network would also connect the network to Monterrey, Chilpancingo, Cuernavaca, Toluca, Puebla, Tijuana, Hermosillo, Cordoba, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Colima, Zacatecas, Torreon, Chihuahua, Puebla, San Luis Potosi, Mexicali Saltillo and Acapulco by 2015. The whole project was projected to cost 240 billion pesos, or about 25 billion dollars. Mexican billionaire Carlos Helú expressed an interest in investing in high-speed rail. Most recently the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico has highlighted as one of the most probable areas for the development of high-speed rail in Latin America with the Transpeninsular Fast Train for bidding in September 2011.
By 2014 the route for the 1st phase of the Mexico City-Guadalajara HST has been selected, this 1st stage will operate from the Buenavista station in Mexico City to Querétaro with a length of 212 km of high speed line. The HST will be further extended into the city of Guadalajara with an immediately extension after the 1st stage to the cities of Celaya, Salamanca, Irapuato and Leon.The 1st phase must be completed by 2018.
The first High Speed Line in Latin America has been announced in July 2014 with the opening of an international tender to build a passenger train linking Mexico City and Querétaro at up to 300 km/h, moving 23,000 passengers a day. The line will be extended over 210 km, construction begins this year and operations would start in the second half of 2017.
On November 6, 2014, Mexico's president, announced that the proposed bullet train will be postponed because there was only one bidder. Falling oil prices and the economic downturn are also believed to have played a role in the decision.
United States
Acela Express trains are the only true high-speed trainsets in the United States. Amtrak uses them on a high-speed service between Washington, D.C. and Boston via New York City and Philadelphia along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) in the Northeast United States. The tilting design allows the train to travel at higher speeds on the sharply curved NEC without disturbing passengers, by lowering lateral forces.
There has been a resurgence of interest in recent decades, with many plans being examined for high-speed rail across the country:
Australia
There have been several proposals to develop a HSR line between Sydney and Canberra (via SYD airport and CBR airport) to link the two cities and to provide an effective second airport for Sydney. The line is also proposed to eventually continue on to Melbourne (also possibly via MEL airport). It is worth noting that the SYD-MEL air traffic corridor is one of the busiest in the world, HSR would allow for journey times city center to city center quicker than flights plus associated procedures and travel. In September 2010, Infrastructure Partnership Australia (IPA) and AECOM proposed an east coast very fast train corridor from the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane (Queensland) and onto Sydney (N.S.W), Canberra (A.C.T.) and through to Melbourne (Victoria). East Coast High Capacity Infrastructure Corridors
Argentina
A Buenos Aires-Rosario-Córdoba high-speed railway was planned, operating at speeds of 320 km/h (200 mph). Construction was scheduled to begin in 2008 and work was expected to take around four years, but the project is currently "on hold" due to the financial crisis.
The project would join the cities of Buenos Aires and Rosario at a distance of 286 km (178 mi) and Córdoba at a distance of 710 km (440 mi).
Other projected high-speed rail lines include:
Brazil
The Rio-São Paulo High Speed rail (Portuguese: Trem de Alta Velocidade Rio-São Paulo; Abbreviation: TAV RJ-SP) is a high-speed rail proposal with the purpose of connecting Brazil's two largest metropoleis: São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro with an extension to Campinas, another metropolis conurbated with São Paulo and 100 km distant from it. The proposed route is through one of Brazil's most mountainous and urbanized terrains resulting the need of around 40% of the tracks to be built through viaducts, bridges and tunnels. Such massive need of structures has made the proposed project's price spike to US$16 billion.
Proposed:
Track gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) (standard gauge)
Proposed commercial speed: 350 km/h
Government mandatory stations: Rio de Janeiro Centre, Rio de Janeiro Intl Airport, Volta Redonda/Barra Mansa, São José dos Campos, São Paulo/Guarulhos Intl Airport, São Paulo Centre, São Paulo/Viracopos Intl Airport and Campinas Centre.
Cancelled due to current economic recession.
Colombia
The Colombian National Agency of Infrastructure (ANI) is interested in building a High Speed rail link as part of Colombia's '4G Modernization' and construction could start by 2020. The Transport Minister has said that plans and studies for the bullet train will commence in 2015. However, Colombia has the smallest train ridership of any large Latin American nation. There have been many proposals since the 1990s when Japanese firms wanted to build a bullet train network from Bogota to nearby cities, but the project was cancelled.