@anant_s @AndrewJin i have one question for you .
Can we use Metro Rails as Mini Bullet Trains in India ?
with speed of 120 KMPH these cuties are cheap.
for Short Distance Jurny OFC like B/w delhi Agra, Parna Varanasi, Varanasi Prayag, Ahmedabad Gandhinagar, Chandigadh Ludhiana etc etc.
I would argue slightly differently with
@anant_s
For speed over 200-250km/h, referred to trunk routes, as
@anant_s has mentioned with larger intervals between stations, the answer is undoubtedly no.
But for intercity railway networks, frankly speaking, there won't be too many differences between 160km/h and 200km/h. I think you can use metro cars on such semi-HSR routes if the total distance is within 100-150km. Look at the case in Tokyo, you'll find there is no limit between metro and railways, they are on the same route, where the highest speed can reach 140-160km/h (yes, the cars are quite shaking). Signalling is really not that important, there are multiple signalling systems on a lot of Chinese railways to cater for different speeds.
The case in China is, the designed speed of a lot of intercity HSRs is 250km/h, in some cases even 350km/h. The reason is, a lot of intercity HSRs will be eventually prolonged and form a 300-350km/h trunk route. They are "primers" of future mega-projects, built and financially supported by local governments for better "equipping" themselves in the negotiation for another 1000km long trunk route. Even such "primer" fails at last, then, you can have 160km-200km/h trains stop by stop every 10 minutes, and in the meantime 250-300km/h train non-stop hourly.
Another trend here is to design a train which can travel on non-electrified railways, electrified railways as well as metro lines, or two of the three features combined.
This is the high-speed railway network around my hometown with the number indicating distance between stations.
U probably can have a sense of the organisation of trunk routes and intercity routes. All the short distance intercity lines (coloured brown or grey) will be extended to Shanghai/Nanjing/Xiamen 1000+km away. And in China, people mostly use metro and buses in suburban commuting, compared to extensive use of suburban railways in India and Japan. My city has currently 4 metro lines in operation, 2 to be inaugurated in 2016 and 10+ under construction.
Intercity HSR in the city of Xiaogan which is 50-60km from my hometown, Wuhan, Central China
Such a huge stimulus for domestic tourism in Southwest China. I don't think the 2000+ hotels and hostels in the ancient town of Lijiang are sufficient for the coming tourism boom.
