No 2: Harmony CRH380A, Chinese mainland

Maximum Operating Speed: 236 mph

Record Speed: 302 mph

Running on a more traditional track, the CRH380A has topped out at 302 mph, maxes out commercially at 236 mph and routinely runs at 217 mph. There are currently four models of the train serving different railroad lines in China.

A CRH380A bullet train passes by high-rise residential apartment buildings in Shanghai, China, July 14, 2012. [Photo/dfic.cn]