Eurostar: does the eurostar have longer track that is welded together instead of butted together?

Question

i'm sure i was once told that one reason eurostar and tgv trains go quicker is because the track is longer and welded together and ours is shorter and butted together?

Is another factor that the tracks for each train when passing each other is further apart, so the wind displacement doesn't affect either?

Apart from platform to train distance being an issue is the track width the same, is track width further apart so making the train more stable?

Answer 1

most rails are welded know even London underground  reason is we run on old routes over there built as new for high speed

Answer 2

You were told right, and wrong.

Most all modern track is CWR or continuous welded rail, regardless of the country, European or American.

In the "old days" rails were 39 ft long because early flatcars were 40' long and rail plants were set up to manufacture it that way.

Eurostar and TGV trains that travel the fastest speeds are almost always on a dedicated line maintained to much higher standards. If they share the rail with freight traffic they are usually a good bit slower, heavy usage and high speed are tremendously hard on track and require a lot of maintenance to maintain safety.

If you see shorter peices of steel bolted together, called "jointed rail" it is quite likely old and not in  a heavy use area, probably branch lines and operated at slower speeds.

The track width, commonly called "guage" is fairly standard at 4' 8 1/2", long story there but basically it is the width of two roman war horses rear ends.

Wider guage would be stabler but that is not necessarily the limiting factor for high speed rail and wont be changed in our lifetimes. too much infrastructure out there.

Wind displacement is not an issue in determining track seperation, things like equipment width and available right of way are.