Morocco’s High-Speed Train Ranks Among World’s Fastest, Slashing Travel Times

The Al-Boraq is a two-story French-made TGV that runs at a speed of 320 km/h. It serves the Tangier-Casablanca, Tangier-Rabat and Tangier-Kenitra routes. The introduction of the TGV has reduced the travel time between Tangier and Casablanca from 4.45 hours to 2.10 hours, according to ABC.

China’s Shanghai Maglev is also among the seven fastest TGVs in the world with a speed of 460 km/h. It connects Shanghai Pudong Airport and Longyang bus station (30 km) in just seven and a half minutes. With a speed of 350 km/h, the CR400 Fuxing, also developed by China, is one of the fastest TGVs in the world. This model operates the Beijing-Shanghai-Hong Kong and Beijing-Harbin routes.

To read: Morocco’s Al Boraq: Africa’s Fastest Train Ranks Among World’s Top 10

Next comes Germany’s ICE3, which can reach a speed of 330 km/h. Introduced in 1999 to connect Cologne to Frankfurt, the ICE3 fleet now operates throughout Germany and even serves European metropolises like Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam. Like the German ICE3, the French TGV models (the Premium inOUI and the low-cost OUIGO) run throughout France and also connect major cities in Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

The Japanese JR East E5, inaugurated since 1964, can run at a speed of 320 km/h, while the Spanish AVE S-103 can reach a speed of 310 km/h. The latter country has the largest high-speed rail network in Europe, extending from Madrid to Seville, Malaga, Valencia, Galicia and Barcelona.