Editing High-speed rail (section)

=== National legal definitions ===
Some national legal definitions of high-speed rail include:

==== Australia ====
According to the High Speed Rail Authority Act 2022, high-speed rail in Australia is defined as a railway capable of supporting trains that can travel at speeds exceeding 250&nbsp;km/h.<ref>{{Cite web |title=HIGH SPEED RAIL AUTHORITY ACT 2022 (NO. 81, 2022) |url=https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;db=LEGISLATION;id=legislation/bills/r6904_aspassed/0002;query=Id:%22legislation/bills/r6904_aspassed/0000%22 |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=Parliament of Australia}}</ref> As of 2025, Australia does not have any railways which meet this definition.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Projects to watch in 2025 - Australia and New Zealand |url=https://www.railjournal.com/in_depth/projects-to-watch-in-2025-australia-and-new-zealand/ |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=International Railway Journal |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==== China ====
According to China's [[Ministry of Railways (China)|Ministry of Railways]] ''Order No. 34 (2013)'', high-speed rail refers to new passenger rail lines designed to operate at speeds of 250&nbsp;km/h or higher, with initial service running at least 200&nbsp;km/h.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gerald Ollivier, Richard Bullock, Ying Jin and Nanyan Zhou |date=December 2014 |title=High-Speed Railways in China: A Look at Traffic |url=https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/451551468241176543/pdf/932270BRI0Box30ffic020140final000EN.pdf |website=World Bank}}</ref>

==== Japan ====
The first law defining high-speed rail was Japan's ''"Law number 71 for Construction of Nation-Wide High-Speed Railways",'' adopted on May 18, 1970.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-25 |title=High speed train in Japan - The Railway dictionary of Mediarail.be |url=https://ledicoferroviaire.mediarail.be/high-speed-line-in-japan-en/ |access-date=2025-01-20 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Article 2 of this law provided the following definition: ''"An [[Main line (railway)|artery railway]] that is capable of operating at the speed of 200km/h or more in its predominating section."'' <ref>{{Cite web |date=May 18, 1970 |title=NATIONWIDE SHINKANSEN RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT ACT |url=https://www.mlit.go.jp/english/2006/h_railway_bureau/Laws_concerning/05.pdf |website=Government of Japan}}</ref>

This law formalised the definition of [[Shinkansen|high-speed railways in Japan]] and established a framework for the Shinkansen network, which had started in operation since 1964.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Ben |date=2024-10-01 |title=How Japan's Shinkansen bullet trains changed the world of rail travel |url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/japan-shinkansen-bullet-trains-60-years/index.html |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>

==== South Korea ====
South Korea defines high-speed rail through the Railway Service Act (2004),<ref>{{Cite web |title=철도사업법 |url=https://elaw.klri.re.kr/kor_service/lawView.do?hseq=39075&lang=ENG |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241204075618/https://elaw.klri.re.kr/kor_service/lawView.do?hseq=39075&lang=ENG |archive-date=4 December 2024 |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=elaw.klri.re.kr |language=ko |url-status=live }}</ref> which categorises railway lines and trains into three types:

# High-speed railway lines: Can run at speeds of 300&nbsp;km/h or more on the majority of tracks.
# Semi-high-speed railway lines: Can run at speeds between 200&nbsp;km/h to 300&nbsp;km/h on the majority of tracks.
# Conventional lines: Can run at a maximum speed of less than 200&nbsp;km/h on the majority of tracks.

The Act also categorises trains into corresponding types based on their maximum speeds.

==== United States ====
United States federal law defines high-speed rail is as intercity passenger rail service expected to reach speeds of at least {{convert|110|mph}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=49 U.S. Code § 26106 - High-speed rail corridor development |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/49/26106#b_4 |access-date=2025-01-19 |website=LII / Legal Information Institute |language=en}}</ref>