On main lines they can reach a speed of 130 mph (210 km/h). The Eurostar connects London with other major European cities such as Brussels, Rotterdam, and Paris. The second-fastest train in the UK is the Eurostar, which traveled at approximately 209 mph in 2003. The maximum recorded speed of the Eurostar was significantly higher than its maximum design speed of 186 mph.

The average speed at which trains in the UK travel is between 60 and 65 mph (between 95 and 105 km/h). The actual maximum commercial train speed in the UK is 186 mph (300 km/h) and 249 mph (400 km/h) for Maglev trains. BR had pursued two development projects in parallel, the development of a tilting train technology, the Advanced Passenger Train (APT), and development of a conventional high-speed diesel train, the High Speed Train (HST). High-speed rail (above 124 mph or 200 km/h) was first introduced in Great Britain in the 1970s by British Rail.

What is the average train speed in the UK?