France sets a new rail speed record

[Azereus]

A French high-speed train (TGV) has smashed the world record for a train on rails by a big margin, reaching 574.8km/h (356mph).
French TGV trains, in service since 1981, generally travel at about 300km/h. But from 10 June they will be allowed to reach 320km/h on the recently opened Paris-Strasbourg LGV Est line.

Link here . (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6521295.stm)

Incredible...props to the French.
Alizee must be proud.

[zpa]

It was on the local news here. Its just unbelievable how something on rails can travel at such ridiculous speeds :blink: They sure know how to build a train..


There's TGV clips on utube in case someone's interested.

[madraven]

Very interesting, I think its cool that it was only about 6 km/h slower then the Maglev :eek:

[garçoncanadien]

Congratulations to all involved parties :)

[zpa]

I wonder what are the odds of surviving should something go terribly wrong... derailment at almost 600kph sounds quite fatal :(

[Rocket]

I wonder if they intended to set the record or the brakes went out. :D

[garçoncanadien]

I wonder what are the odds of surviving should something go terribly wrong... derailment at almost 600kph sounds quite fatal :(

ah don't worry about that. personnel are in good hands :) LGV rail engineering is of the strictest standards.

have a look in here for all those who would like to see more
http://www.record2007.com/site/index_en.php

[Ben]

Saw that report, pretty cool. We rode one of those trains from Paris to Lyon and back. Not quite that fast, but close-ish (maybe about 200mph?). Smooth ride.

[garçoncanadien]

here is the video

SNCF Video (http://a456.g.akamai.net/7/456/34233/v2/sncf1.download.akamai.com/34233/jour_j/post_record/popup_post_record_en.html)

relive life at 574,8 kph ;)

[Matrix]

Wow that's amazing, 350mph. Wish the USA had the technology and the brains to do that. USA is slacking, Congratulations France!

There has been talk of a high speed rail system like this from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, it would drastically cut down on the 4hr commute

[Twitch]

Well it has more to do with the US rail systems. like here in Canada our tracks were not designed for those speeds, and because our countries are so much larger it costs a lot more to build new tracks (especially when you needed to blast through mountains like the Rockies to build the originals). I know Bombardier has been working on high speed trains that run off of diesel generators so that all the electrical wires won't need to be built as well to help make costs more feasible here in North America. Don't worry you will have your high speed trains in the US soon enough. http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/amtrak/

[Deepwaters]

Wow that's amazing, 350mph. Wish the USA had the technology and the brains to do that.

We do. We just don't have the will, because it wouldn't provide as much profit for the oil companies and the auto manufacturers, and would probably require some hefty government subsidies.

I know we should avoid politics here, but it's exactly politics that dictates things like this. There is nothing wrong with U.S. technology, only with how we choose to use it.

[RMJ]

Saw that report, pretty cool. We rode one of those trains from Paris to Lyon and back. Not quite that fast, but close-ish (maybe about 200mph?). Smooth ride.
At the best we topped 200mph. The average speed was over 250kph (156mph).

From Lyon to Paris, 500km in 1 hour and 50 minutes. Including one stop in the middle of nowhere while waiting another train... So it WAS fast. :blink:

At the best, those TGV Duplex trains (the ones that goes from Paris to Lyon) can go 340kph which is little over 200mph.

And yea, it was smooth ride. :)

[garçoncanadien]

so why they aren't allowed to use the TGV's at their highest speed possible?

[zpa]

If I'm not mistaken, the record-breaking trains are prepped up for the attempts. Line voltages are raised and extra tension applied to them. And I'm sure they're maxing out the motors and other equipment as well.

[RMJ]

so why they aren't allowed to use the TGV's at their highest speed possible?

Safety regulations. Max speed -> max damage. And it stresses the train much more at max speed, so failure in some part is more likely than at lower speeds -> lower speed -> lower running costs. "better safety" -> Lower running costs (the real reason for lower speed).

It's same everywhere. In Finland fastest trains are rated for 220km/h speed but they are never used more than 200km/h. And even that 200 they reaches at one etapé, which was finished last year. Everywhere else they goes max 160km/h (because Finnish rails are very curvy, due to lakes, lots of stations and stuff like that... In France, the rails are practically straight lines without stops other than big cities).

[garçoncanadien]

so why tell us they can drive 574 kph if passengers of SNCF can never realize these speeds?

[Matrix]

As fast as those trains go, it gives new meaning to looking both ways before you cross the tracks. Don't those train tracks intersect with highways at some point in France?

I saw a video a long time ago of some little kid and some guy walking across the tracks, the guy stopped but the little kid didn't look left and kept walking and BAM! a bullet train hit him like he was paper and he went flying

That train was a long way away it seemed but it was on the little kid in a second! Had to be one of them high speed bullet trains from Europe. Don't remember the video.. faces of death or something

[garçoncanadien]

no Matrix the LGV (special track the TGV trains runs on) is built such that everything goes around the LGV. Nothing intersects with the LGV. If something needs to intersect, they will build a bridge under or over the LGV. The LGV is continous track.

There were also police watching the track to make sure nobody walks on it :)

in the video you can see - there are bridges for everything :)

[RMJ]

so why tell us they can drive 574 kph if passengers of SNCF can never realize these speeds?

Fame and money.

TGV is "officially" the fastest. Everyone knows it now.

(well, it was before too... But it was about time to remind people. They can't remember 8 years back in the past. Or can you remember what Lili did 8 years ago ? No you can't... You only remember that she had audition in December '99 but you can't remember what she did in April '99 ! ;) )

[garçoncanadien]

Fame and money.

TGV is "officially" the fastest. Everyone knows it now.

(well, it was before too... But it was about time to remind people. They can't remember 8 years back in the past. Or can you remember what Lili did 8 years ago ? No you can't... You only remember that she had audition in December '99 but you can't remember what she did in April '99 ! ;) )

but she never told us what she did April '99 ;)

[RMJ]

Nah, you have just forgotten...

I remember it like yesterday... :wub:

[garçoncanadien]

sorry i am confused sir.

is the correct answer "started dating RMJ?" ;)

[RMJ]

Shh... secretly dating...

[RMJ]

Here's less off topic.

Short video taken on TGV Duplex. :) Rouhgly ~300km/h (190mph) since it was somewhere country side. It most likely had the full speed already.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuH15q6JKMI

The trip we were talking about earlier with Snatcher.

[SupaKrupa]

I saw a video a long time ago of some little kid and some guy walking across the tracks, the guy stopped but the little kid didn't look left and kept walking and BAM! a bullet train hit him like he was paper and he went flying

:( I wouldn't be able to watch something like that. But no kidding he didn't see it or hear it til it was too late. "150 metres per second": half the speed of sound.

[Zarose]

Heh, I rode that train! The Paris-Strasbourg, it was soo beautifull, I wish I could do it again! It was pretty scary though the first time another train went past, it was realy load... but really fast, then... totally quiet again!

[rcs]

Here in Korea, they have KTX. It's not the fatest, but I got up to 298 kph (almost 300 kph) on my way to Seoul...:eek: I kept watching the TV screen waiting for 300 to show, and I ended up missing a lot of scenery.

I never seen cities come to me so fast and so smooth. It's quiet on these type of trains.

Congrats to France for such a nice piece of machinery. Now Lili can come visit all of us quicker...:D...Except, I'm in Korea surrounded by water, bummer...:(

[c-dawg777]

Wow that's amazing, 350mph. Wish the USA had the technology and the brains to do that. USA is slacking, Congratulations France!

Thats funny... I coulda swore we invented the airplane about a hundred years ago... hmmm:blink:


BTW heres another video...
the video starts after it says spikedhumor
<table width="400" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td width="5" rowspan="3" valign="top"><img src="http://static.spikedhumor.com/images/vcleft.gif" width="5" height="300"></td><td width="390" height="5" valign="top"><img src="http://static.spikedhumor.com/images/vctop.gif" width="390" height="5"></td><td width="5" rowspan="3" valign="top"><img src="http://static.spikedhumor.com/images/vcright.gif" width="5" height="300"></td></tr><tr><td height="273" valign="top"><embed src="http://www.spikedhumor.com/player/vcplayer.swf?file=http://www.spikedhumor.com/videocodes/96641/data.xml&auto_play=false" quality="high" scale="noscale" bgcolor="#000000" width="100%" height="100%" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" /></td></tr><tr><td height="22" valign="top"><a href="http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/96641/World_s_Fastest_Rail_Train.html" target="_new"><img src="http://static.spikedhumor.com/images/vcbot.gif" width="390" height="22" border="0"></a></td></tr></table>

[RMJ]

Thats funny... I coulda swore we invented the airplane about a hundred years ago... hmmm:blink:
Anyone can fly, but only few knows how to ride a train 600kph on rails. :D

[c-dawg777]

Anyone can fly, but only few knows how to ride a train 600kph on rails. :D

Riding in the back of an airplane and flying it are two completely different things.... do you know how to fly it?
On top of that the first train, built in 1807. The first airplane, 1903. Which one has progressed faster, gone farther, climbed high, changed the course of history more? If your answer is a train... wow. ;)
372mph is not that impressive anymore. Tony Schumacher has a 333 mph top fuel dragster that does the 1/4 mile in 4.441 seconds. Now that is impressive.:blink:
A fast train is nice and all, but I'm wondering why it's taken them so long to do 600k.

[garçoncanadien]

one reason is it takes alot more hp to move a train than a dragster car ;) do you know of a racecar that weighs 380 tons?

[RMJ]

Riding in the back of an airplane and flying it are two completely different things.... do you know how to fly it?
In theory? Yes. :)

And I have flew with Cessna, ~14 years ago. Just couple minutes tho... and the plane was in air already. :)


On top of that the first train, built in 1807. The first airplane, 1903. Which one has progressed faster, gone farther, climbed high, changed the course of history more? If your answer is a train... wow. ;)
Heh, I don't think anyone was denying the usefulness of airplane. :p But just admit it, they got the best stuff there. :)

No but seriously, how would you want to travel for example 500km daily for work ? Yes, it's not silly question at all. People do it between Paris and Lyon, for example. Would you take metro to trainstation and drive to the other city with train, or take RER or bus to airfield and fly there?

In Paris-Lyon (500km) case, you are faster there with train. Even Paris-Marseille (900km) would be at least equally fast, and without that extra hassle on airport.

It's impressive transportation network, believe me. I wish we had same here. :(


372mph is not that impressive anymore. Tony Schumacher has a 333 mph top fuel dragster that does the 1/4 mile in 4.441 seconds. Now that is impressive.:blink:
Yea, 350mph with dragster that weight 500kg against 350mph with train that weight 500 tons. I think the latter is more impressive. :D Just think about the energy it needs... And think about that 500 tons to hit something that full speed. :blink: I wouldn't want to be that something !


A fast train is nice and all, but I'm wondering why it's taken them so long to do 600k.
600k ? You mean 600kph? Well,because it's hard to keep something that fast on tracks. The tracks needs to be perfectly made for it, with highest possible accuracy. Plane don't have that problem, it doesn't need to have wheels touching ground all the time, it's smooth ride already in the air.

Another thing of course is power. 500 tons needs lots of power, and it needs it for long time since it won't accelerate like a bullet (well, it's fast enough to accelerate anyways !). Putting couple air turbines to help wouldn't be very good idea really due to their excessive sound, and usage of liquid gasoline. It just wouldn't be as handy as electric trains are.

But I don't really think it would be that hard to make train to go 1000kph any day now. But it needs special track. And with current technology, it would not be cost effective. Current TGVs goes around 300kph because it's cost effective speed. And it's fast enough for passengers. If more speed is needed, it will be increased, little by little. TGV is still only 25 years old thing really, so it has lots of time to evolve. It reached current speeds long ago, but there was never need for faster speeds. But like we see from this record try, they got the potential, if it's needed. But like I already told, faster speed means greater risks. And larger running costs. So, it's not good idea for the train company currently.

But time will change of course. And maybe in 100 years we have our own teleportation system. ;)

[lefty12357]

They are all impressive inventions. Each one has its uses. You don’t use a screwdriver to pound nails if you don’t have to. It’s a shame that the train system in the USA has not received the investment required to keep it state of the art. There are definitely places in the USA where they are useful. Because of the distances required, planes also play a key part in the overall transportation scheme. Many of our old railways have been converted to hiking trails and bike paths that run for hundreds of miles.

Ah Cessna, I am a licensed private pilot and flew mainly Cessna 152’s and 172’s. My brother-in-law and I used to rent a Piper J3 from time to time. I haven’t flown in years, too expensive and too many irons in the fire. I miss it, though.

[RMJ]

Yeah, of course. Train can never replace plane, nor vice versa. You can't really drive over the ocean for example. :) (well, ok... there is plans for subway under the Atlantic ocean. :blink: I twould be faster than any plane ! But it's just plan. Theory even. :) But it would cut travel time between Europe and America to 1 or 2 hours. :blink: )

And planes aren't forgotten in larger scale in Europe of course. The air space of central Europe is filled of them. :)