There are no design parameters related to speeds exceeding 160 km/h in the effective Hungarian railway design rules. In the relevant international standard (ENV 13803) a similar speed limit is 300 km/h. This paper deals with the comparative of these regulations. Parameters of two transition curves used in Hungary and other used in Austria are determined. The importance of the new design parameters provided by ENV 13803 is assessed. It is demonstrated that the usability of the clothoide transition curves is unnecessarily restricted for the speeds v≤120 km/h in the Hungarian regulations. © 2009 Akadémiai Kiadó.