Anyway, per your request, the maglev supplement:
With maglevs included, the absolute record belongs to the Japanese MLX01 prototype with 581 km/h; tough to the more progessed, in-service German rival's credit, the MLX01 benefitted from a longer straight test track. If we include maglevs, the Transrapid Shanghai would also lead in scheduled top speed with 430 km/h, but not with average start-to-top speed (just around 236 km/h). *Traitor*, n. A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
The graph Ritter linked is a comparison with the ICE-1 - but the ICE-1 is overweight and has only locomotives at the two ends. The ICE-3 with its distributed power reaches 300 km/h in a little over half the distance, the Spanish S103 and (from what I heard) the latest Shinkansen versions (the FASTECH and the N700) outdo even that. Admittedly, that's still two-three times the Transrapid's.
Another issue is something rather close to my field, ride quality - with the spread of air springs (lately combined with actuators) in railway construction, a stability beyond that of gliding on magnetic fields was reached. But building a suspension system into a maglev is rather challenging (i.e. a complete redesign). *Traitor*, n. A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
