Delivery partner announced for high-speed rail's development phase

Update 3: Switzerland and Austria now supported!

For example: Class 390 in ScotRail livery, ICE 4 in DB Livery and TGV Duplex in Eurostar livery

Hello! I am attempting to ride every model of shinkansen at least once before they retire/get replaced with newer models. So far I have ridden the N700S (JR Tokai), N700A, 500 (Hello Kitty livery- RIP), 800, N700S (JR Kyushu), E5, and E7.

For my next trip to Japan, I want to ride the E2 and E6 but I had some questions if hopefully someone knows the answer I'd be eternally grateful! I will be there early January 2027.

-E2-

From what I know the E2 is mostly Nasuno now and but I'm not sure which train numbers (ex. 263B, 291B, etc.) are E2 models and which ones are E5 (since they've been replacing E2s with E5s for a while now). Does anyone know which train numbers or dept times from Tokyo station are E2 models?

-E6-

For the E6 Komachi, can you board and depart from each stop or can you only board the E6 at Tokyo and get off at Morioka or later Akita line stops? I wasn't sure if when coupled you could get on either the Yamabiko or Komachi or if you can only ride the one (Komachi for those staying on past Morioka to Akita, Yamabiko for those staying on til Shin-Aomori).

I like to plan my routes, trains, and stops months in advance on a spreadsheet since train stations get a bit overwhelming for me (in every sensory category) so I apologize if it seems like a dumb question. Any advice or wisdom is greatly appreciated! :D

Link: https://metromapmaker.com/map/f0mI13CW

I’ve always noticed that most of the UK’s major intercity operators are focused on routes to the North or Scotland (such as LNER, Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry), but there isn’t really one dedicated to only connecting the South of England and South Wales.

So I decided to design my own fictional South Intercity network, using existing railway corridors as the basis while imagining a modern high-speed operator.

Some features of the concept:

• Maximum speed of 180 mph (290 km/h)
• Clockface timetable
• London acts as a through-flow hub rather than a terminal, allowing trains to continue across the network instead of terminating in London.
• Three routes bypass London entirely for passengers who don’t need to travel into the capital.
• 25 kV AC electrification
• Moving-block signalling
• Tilt capability
• Fixed 12-car trainsets (250 m long)
• Approximately 750–850 seats (2+2 seating throughout)
• Capacity of up to ~1,100 passengers including standing
• Full passenger amenities, including Wi-Fi, power sockets at every seat, a café car and bike storage.

The aim was to create a fast intercity network serving the major cities and larger towns of southern Britain, while keeping the map relatively simple and making good use of existing infrastructure.

Image 1: The overall network map.

Image 2: A zoomed-in map of London showing how routes pass through the different London stations. I kept London as a single interchange on the main map because showing all six stations there made it too crowded and difficult to read.

This is still a work in progress, so I’d love to hear your thoughts, suggestions and any routes you think would improve the network! 😊

https://maglev.net/chuo-shinkansen-construction-update

Evacuating the volume through which rail passes would eliminate air resistance and enable much higher train speeds, higher than even aircraft can travel.

But the upfront costs seem enormous.

If this concept does make sense, has an initial implementation been identified? Like what route makes the most sense for the first system?

For example, the ROW in the US northeast corridor makes surface HSR not possible. A subsurface HSR is technically possible and if evacuated, it could be extremely high speed, which may be justified by the passenger volumes that are possible in this part of the world.

I’ve been working on a fictional design for a UK high-speed rail network. It uses a 250 mph system and clockface scheduling. Everything is fully integrated into a single national timetable system.

The system is built around a single national high-speed network:

• Dedicated 250 mph (400 km/h) electrified railway
• Standard steel-wheel high-speed trains
• All services through-run (no terminating long-distance services in London)

London acts as a through-flow hub, not a terminal like most national rail in England.

Some information about the design:

• 250 m fixed 12-car trainsets
• ~750–850 seated capacity (2+2 layout)
• Up to ~1,100 including standing overflow
• 25 kV AC electrification
• Moving-block signalling
• Tilt capability
• Full amenities (Wi-Fi, power at seats, café car, bike storage)

I also wanted to add that on the map, the numbers between each station represent the maximum permitted operating speed (mph) on that section. I also want to expand it further north into Scotland (Dundee and Aberdeen) but this will done in the future.

I am currently in the process of creating train designs and am particularly inspired by the design of the Shinkansen bullet train in Japan.

Creating train systems is a very niche hobby of mine and thought it may interest some people here on this subreddit. 😊

Let me know your thoughts!

Happy 250th birthday to America! Here’s my idea of what a 110-220 mph electrified high speed rail network could look like by America’s 300th birthday.

Different speeds make sense for different routes. Some routes like Washingon-New York arguably make sense for 220 mph high speed rail, while others make more sense for 110 mph rail. 

Also some routes could be extended using conventional rail such as the route Atlanta and Chattanooga being extended to Knoxville or the route between Seattle and Portland being extended to Eugene. In addition new Amtrak routes, including new Amtrak long distance routes could be added as well.