Shinkansen. Ave. Thalys. These names seem so magical and yet they are just a few of the great high-speed trains of the world, a group joined by Germany's fleet of sleek ICE trains. ICE, which stands for Inter-City Express, are the cool-as-cucumber white, red and silver trains you'll spy parked on tracks alongside the clunkier regular Deutschebahn trains at Hauptbahnhofs (main train stations) around the country. And, like with any great train, riding an ICE is an experience in itself; you'll feel cool just boarding one.

We aren't exactly old hats at riding the ICE, but then we aren't newbies either. They are expensive tickets—we recently paid 75 Euro for a one-way, two-hour trip from Frankfurt to Dusseldorf—but then travel around Western Europe in something as chic and as speedy as this can't come cheap. At full speed, entering a tunnel sounds like a loud smack, and that is extraordinary. ]]> JetSetCD 2010-06-24T09:33:14-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/25/151820/124

When we talk about High-Speed Trains, it's not exactly news that the United States is extremely tardy to the party. Especially now that Russia has their act together and have debuted some Siemens-built trains designed to zip, rather than chug-chug, on the route between Moscow and St. Petersburg.

The Sapsan—or "Peregrine Falcon"—train will ride the rails beginning in December, with an average speed of 250 km/h (155 mph), shaving an hour off of the total travel time between the two metropoli. No doubt this train will fast become a tourist's best friend, smoothing the passage between the capitals like the TGV did for the route between Paris and Nice, or the Thalys between Brussels and Paris. The big deal here, however, is that now we're talking about Russia. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-09-28T09:33:50-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/3/25/12138/0148

Italy's new high-speed train service, Freccia Rossa ("Red Arrow"), made its inaugural high-speed rail service yesterday from Milan to Rome. The new service now lets travelers get from the fashion capital to the Eternal City in just three hours. (Currently, the trip takes about four hours.) Passengers can also get from Florence to Bologna in just 35 minutes, down from one hour.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi rode the inaugural trip, even posing in the pilot's cabin wearing the chief engineer's hat. He looks so...cute?]]> juliana 2009-03-25T12:18:12-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/3/18/63746/8076

For a long time now, Turkey has been trying to play with the big boys in Europe. Joining the European Union couldn’t be going slower, and it wouldn’t surprise us if they never got into the club. However, one thing that may help its chances, albeit ever so slightly, is a high-speed train. If Europe has one thing going for it—it’s awesome trains—so what better way to get on their good side than to build your own?

Last week, Turkey launched the first trip of their new speedy rail transportation system, the Yuksek Hizli Tren, or YHT. Not only did the new train depart Ankara with speeds over 150 mph, but it also featured some pretty nice on-board amenities that would make even the shower-equipped A380 jealous—or not. Anyway, business class seats have access to personal televisions as well as power ports to keep your iThis and iThat all charged and ready to go. ]]> kjb 2009-03-19T09:56:23-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/2/13/24832/3728

Australian planners have been worrying about Sydney and its need for another airport at some stage in the next decade or two. Some think they can give up worrying now because there's quite a tidy solution: building a high speed rail link from Canberra and its existing airport.

Although it seems crazy at the moment to imagine flying to Sydney via Canberra, the thought is that a fast train could make the trip in just 50 minutes, turning little capital Canberra into an outlying suburb of Sydney. There's talk of extending such a rail link down to Melbourne too.

The only tiny problem is the expected cost of up to A$59 billion (almost $40b), but at least it would be cheaper than alternative plans that involve building entirely new airports. All this could revolutionize the way we travel around south-east Oz, but don't hold your breath, because this exciting newness could be ten or twenty years away.

Related Stories:
· Sydney to Canberra in 50 Minutes [The Age]
· Australia Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: Tilly Dog] ]]> amandak 2009-02-13T09:21:03-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/