United Nations Postal Administration High-Speed Trains stamps commemorate Nov. 26 World Sustainable Transport Day

By David Hartwig

The United Nations Postal Administration will commemorate World Sustainable Transport Day Nov. 26 with six stamps featuring different high-speed trains.

According to the UNPA, World Sustainable Transport Day is celebrated annually “to recognize the important role of safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all in supporting sustainable economic growth, improving the social welfare of people and enhancing international cooperation and trade among countries.”

The stamps will be issued in six panes of four, with a single denomination and design for each pane.

The 73¢ stamps picture a train on the Japan railway network of high-speed railway lines known as Shinkansen. This line was launched 60 years ago ahead of the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The $1.65 stamps show the Amtrak Acela, which runs from Washington, D.C., to Boston, Mass., and can reach a maximum speed of 165 mph.

Morocco’s Al Boraq rail service is highlighted on the 1.20-franc stamp in the Nov. 26 issue. Al Boraq opened in 2018 as the first of Morocco’s planned 932-mile high-speed rail network. The trains on the Al Boraq line can reach speeds of almost 200 mph as they travel more than 200 miles from Casablanca to Tangier.

The Fuxing train featured on the 1.90fr stamp is part of China’s first high-speed trains to be wholly designed and manufactured in the country. The first of these trains came off the production line in 2017. Clocking in at 220 mph, they are among the world’s fastest trains in service.

The €0.95 stamps show a train from the TGV, France’s intercity high-speed rail service operated by SNCF, the country’s state-owned rail company. According to SNCF, the rail service carried 122 million passengers in 2023.

The €1.20 stamps feature a train on the German state railway Deutsche Bahn Intercity Express, or DB ICE. The rail system connects cities both in Germany and in Austria, France, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

Tom Connell provided the illustrations of all the trains. Connell has previously illustrated for the train simulation video game series Train Sim World.

The stamps measure 67.5 millimeters by 31.9mm, and the panes are 155mm by 104mm.

Joh. Enschede of the Netherlands printed the panes of four by hexachrome in the following quantities: 18,000 panes of the 73¢ and $1.65 stamps, 19,000 panes of the 1.20fr stamps, 23,000 panes of the 1.90fr stamps, and 21,000 panes of the €0.95 and €1.20 stamps.

For ordering information for these new High-Speed Trains stamps and related products, visit the UNPA website; email unpanyinquiries@un.org; telephone 212-963-7684 or 800-234-8672; or write to UNPA, Box 5900, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163-5900.

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