High-speed railway

Railways were the first form of fast ground transportation and had an effective monopoly on passenger transportation until the development of cars and airliners began in the early to mid-20th century. Speed ​​has always been an important factor for the railways, and they are constantly trying to achieve higher speeds and reduce travel time. Rail transport at the end of the 19th century was not much slower than high-speed trains today, and many railways regularly organized relatively fast express trains, which had an average speed of around 100 km / h (62 mph). ^[one]

Early Research

First experiments

High-speed rail development began in Germany in 1899 when the Prussian State Railway joined with ten electrical and engineering firms and electrified 72 kilometers (45 miles) of the military-owned railway between Marienfelde and Zossen . Three-phase current line at 10 kV and 45 Hz .