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Rail News Home High-Speed Rail

4/5/2007



Rail News: High-Speed Rail

French railway, Alstom set world train speed record


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The French National Railway (SNCF), railway owner Reseau Ferre de France and Alstom Transport have given new meaning to the term “high-speed rail.” Earlier this week, the railway and rolling stock manufacturer set a new world train speed record at 357 mph, breaking the previous record of 320 mph set by the French railway in 1990. The parties set the record on a recently upgraded stretch of track between Preny and Bezannes.

The double-decker TGV trainset — dubbed the “V150” because it was designed to travel at 150 meters per second, or 333.5 mph — is similar to rolling stock that will run on the new TGV East line. Set to open June 10, the line will connect Paris to the Champagne, Lorraine and Alsace regions of France, as well as Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland.

Alstom modified the record-breaking train by installing larger wheels and a 25,000-horsepower engine, double the power of a conventional TGV high-speed train.