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The 10 fastest trains on Earth

The U.S. doesn’t have high-speed rail, so experiencing any of these trains is going to require a little international travel

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Shanghai Maglev train fastest train in the world
Screenshot: Luke Starkenburg

So you like going fast, huh? Well, unfortunately for you, the law says speeding is illegal, and even on a race track, you’ll be lucky to see speeds higher than 150 mph unless you’re in something wildly expensive. The easiest way to get your speed fix would be to ride some of the fastest roller coasters in the world, but what if even the fastest roller coaster in the world isn’t enough to scratch that itch?

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The obvious solution is to book a ride on one of the fastest trains in the world. Unfortunately for our U.S. readers (so, like 95 percent of you), the U.S. doesn’t have high-speed rail, so experiencing any of these trains is going to require a little international travel. Then again, who wouldn’t want to see France at nearly 200 mph? And that’s not even the fastest one we found.

Click through to plan your next vacation or just get sad about all the trains the U.S. is missing out on.

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2 / 12

Trenitalia Frecciarossa 1000

Trenitalia Frecciarossa 1000

Venice to Rome on Italy’s 400km/h Frecciarossa 1000 High Speed Train!

Country: Italy

Traveling Speed: 186.4 mph

Top Speed: 242 mph

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3 / 12

Korail KTX-Sancheon

Korail KTX-Sancheon

KTX-Sancheon: The Second Generation of Korea’s High-Speed Train

Country: South Korea

Travel Speed: 190 mph

Top Speed: 262 mph

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4 / 12

Renfe AVE 103

Renfe AVE 103

Madrid to Barcelona with RENFE AVE in PREFERENTE

Country: Spain

Travel Speed: 193 mph

Top Speed: 251 mph

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5 / 12

ONCF Al Boraq

ONCF Al Boraq

I took Africa’s First Ever HIGH-SPEED TRAIN...

Country: Morocco

Travel Speed: 199 mph

Top Speed: 222 mph

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6 / 12

JR Shinkansen

JR Shinkansen

Shinkansen Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Japan’s Superfast Bullet Trains

Country: Japan

Travel Speed: 199 mph

Top Speed: 275 mph

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7 / 12

SCNCF TGV

SCNCF TGV

SNCF TGV - Milano to Paris via The Alps - First Class Review (TGV Réseau)

Country: France

Travel Speed: 199 mph

Top Speed: 357 mph

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DB ICE

Germany’s incredible BRAND-NEW high-speed train – the ICE 3neo

Country: Germany

Travel Speed: 205 mph

Top Speed: 229 mph

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9 / 12

CR Fuxing

CR Fuxing

China’s 400km/h ULTRA high-speed train with LIE-FLAT Suites!

Country: China

Travel Speed: 217 mph

Top Speed: 261 mph

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10 / 12

CR Hexie

CR Hexie

China’s high speed rail CRH380B

Country: China

Travel Speed: 217 mph

Top Speed: 302 mph

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Shanghai Maglev

Shanghai Maglev

Shanghai Maglev Full Ride at Real Time

Country: China

Travel Speed: 286 mph

Top Speed: 311 mph

A version of this article originally appeared on Jalopnik.

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