PARIS, France (AP) -- A French train with a 25,000-horsepower
engine and special wheels broke the world speed record Tuesday for
conventional rail trains, reaching 357.2 mph (574.8 kph) as it
zipped through the countryside to the applause of spectators.
Roaring like a jet plane, with sparks flying overhead and kicking
up a long trail of dust, the black and chrome V150 with three
double-decker cars surpassed the record of 320.2 mph (515.3 kph)
set in 1990 by another French train.
It fell short, however, of beating the ultimate record set by
Japan's magnetically levitated train, which hit 361 mph (580.9 kph)
in 2003. (Watch the train speed through the French countryside
)
The French TGV, or "train a grande vitesse," as the country's
bullet train is called, had two engines on either side of the three
double-decker cars for the record run, some 125 miles (201
kilometers) east of the capital on a new track linking Paris with
Strasbourg.
The demonstration was meant to showcase technology that France is
trying to sell to overseas markets such as China. Hours before the
run, Transport Minister Dominique Perben received a delegation from
California, which is studying prospects for a high-speed line from
Sacramento to San Diego, via San Francisco and Los Angeles.
As the V150 sped through the countryside, people lined bridges and
clapped and cheered when it roared beneath them.
On board, there were noticeable vibrations as the train hurtled
along. The air pressure briefly caused a slight earache.
"We saw the countryside go by a little faster than we did during
the tests," said Eric Pieczac, who operated the train. "I'm proud
to have fulfilled the mission."
"Everything went very well," he added.
Technicians on the train had "French excellence" emblazoned on the
backs of their T-shirts.
Philippe Mellier, president of Alstom Transports, the builder, had
said before the test that the train would try to break the record
held by the Japanese maglev train. But, in the end, the TGV came up
just short.
The V150 was equipped with larger wheels than the usual TGV to
cover more ground with each rotation and a stronger,
25,000-horsepower engine, said Alain Cuccaroni, in charge of the
technical aspects of testing.
Adjustments also were made to the new track, which opens June 10,
notably the banking on turns. Rails were also treated so the wheels
had good contact, Cuccaroni said. The electrical tension in the
overhead cable was increased from 25,000 volts to 31,000.
It was the first time that double-decker cars were used at such a
high speed, according to officials of Alstom, which makes TGVs and
crawled back a year ago from the edge of bankruptcy.
The double-decker cars were transformed into a laboratory for the
event so that technicians from the state-run rail company SNCF and
Alstom could gather data during the run.
The goal was more than "simply breaking a record," Cuccaroni said,
adding that data from the test should help improve the security and
comfort of passengers.
Pierre-Louis Rochet, former head of French state-run rail network
SNCF's international division, said this may be as fast as it gets
on standard rails.
"There is no interest" in going faster, said Rochet, now rail
director for international engineering firm Arcadis. The speed test
was aimed at boosting cruising speeds for commercial trains, which
he predicted would never run at more than 220 mph (350kph ),
"because after that the costs will increase too much."
The record gilds France's image in the expanding market for
high-speed technology as countries turn to bullet trains. France
competes with neighboring Germany and with Japan for
contracts.
China, the biggest potential market, was to start building a
high-speed line this year between Beijing and Shanghai to cut
travel time from nine hours to five.
(source:
CNN)
