ABSTRACT
High-speed trains (HST) were the response of railways to the transport market requirement for reduced travel times. However, there is no universally accepted top speed, beyond which a system can be called as HST system. It has been generally accepted that the existing conventional railway technology, with improvements in the track and rolling stock, can accommodate top speeds of up to 200 km/h. Beyond this speed, additional capital costs are needed to meet the requirements of more stringent design features and sophisticated system components. Thus, we consider HST when V>200 km/h. High speeds were pioneered by two railway networks: - the Japanese railways, with the 1964 operation of the "Shinkansen" high-
speed line between Tokyo and Osaka, with a top operating speed of 210 km/h, increased in 1985 to 240 km/h and later up to 300 km/h, depending on the section and the track,
- the French railways, by operating the TGV• high-speed train between Paris and Lyons in 1981, with a top speed of260 km/h, increased to 270 km/h in 1983 and to 300 kmlh in 1989.
