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http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/4/3/85230.shtml?s=os
French Train Sets Rail Record 357.2 MPH
NewsMax.com Wires Tuesday, April 3, 2007
ABOARD TRAIN V150, France -- 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 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 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 in 2003.
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 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.
"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.
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 to the wheels could would
perfect 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.
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.
French Train Sets Rail Record 357.2 MPH
NewsMax.com Wires Tuesday, April 3, 2007
ABOARD TRAIN V150, France -- 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 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 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 in 2003.
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 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.
"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.
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 to the wheels could would
perfect 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.
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.
