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Conventional HSR is generally feasible up to about 1000km distance. The largest city in EU + UK/Switzerland (Paris) is within about 1000km of 13 of the next 19
by jcranmer 5y ago
Conventional HSR is generally feasible up to about 1000km distance. The largest city in EU + UK/Switzerland (Paris) is within about 1000km of 13 of the next 19 largest cities (and connects 16 of the next 20 largest!), with Budapest, Katowice, Warsaw, Athens, Naples, and Lisbon all much further than 1000km. And Paris isn't exactly centrally situated.
HSR routes that connect all of the major cities in Europe together is a completely feasible proposition, although obviously the extremities of that route aren't going to be viable for thru traffic. Most of the population of Europe happens to live in a relatively compact region, and so most of the intercity traffic could easily be captured by a conventional HSR.
- timwaagh 5y ago1000 kilometer in a 100km/h average German ICE (average on the trip I took including stops in between) is ten hours. Plane flying 900 can do it in one and a half. Even if it's the ideal center center trip and allowing for two hours of boarding and an hour to and from the airport, flying is nearly twice as fast. Now if it were to be the much faster French Thalys they can average 150 (including stops) on the route I did but it's still an hour difference. I'd say French Thalys is competitive up to 700km for direct center center trips. German style HSR is interesting only as an alternative to a car.
- danny_codes 5y ago100km/h is very slow. China is running 350km/h lines all day every day. So with proper investment that train ride is more like 2 hours 40 minutes. Which, per your numbers, is nearly twice as fast as the plane. IMO we're thinking too small. Properly fast trains are a significant QOL improvement.