New World Record

[Steph]

The French TGV (Train Grande Vitesse = high speed train) just broke its former record, with a peak at 574 km/h.

That's 356 miles per hour, or 160 meters per second.

The Japanese MagLev it's still faster with 581 km/h.

However, the MagLev is an experimental train, not a commercial one, whereas the TGV is commercial.

 

[Grisu]

what track did it achieve this on? though I guess it wasn't on a 'normal' commercial run, or was it?

 

[Steph]

what track did it achieve this on? though I guess it wasn't on a 'normal' commercial run, or was it?

It's on the new Eastern TGV, between Paris and Alsace. So there are commercial tracks.

However, it was a record run, with special precautions (like gendarmie to check noone would get on the tracks, etc).

Such speed requires specific situation, and cannot be achieved on every tracks, but some of them.

The commercial speed should be 350 km/h on the Eastern TGV. Previously, it was 300 km/h

 

[Grisu]

Nice, that'll get me even faster to Paris the next time I'll go there

 

[Abaddon]

WeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

 

[Kan' Sharuminar]

Saw it on the news as it started its attempt, pretty nifty.

BBC Link to story, if anyone's interested

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Damn, that is fast. Well done!

 

[classical_hero]

Blink and you will miss it. What was that?

 

[AL_DA_GREAT]

When will the world learn that trains are the best way to travel?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Clearly you never tried traveling by train in Holland

 

[Rossiya]

Well done Frenchies!

 

[StarWorms]

Only the fastest on rail though

Although I wish we had it in the UK...

 

[Steph]

When will the world learn that trains are the best way to travel?

Why do you think we develop our trains?
Going from Marseilles to Paris is often faster with the train than with a plane, especially if you need to go to the center

 

[warpus]

Wish we had such a high-speed link between Windsor and Quebec City here in Canada.

 

[Catharsis]

Why do you think we develop our trains?
Going from Marseilles to Paris is often faster with the train than with a plane, especially if you need to go to the center

The Aston Martin DB9 has your trains beaten all ends up. (Says Clarkson.)

 

[Masquerouge]

Saw it on the news as it started its attempt, pretty nifty.

BBC Link to story, if anyone's interested

From that link:

"The technology is also being looked at in California for a new high-speed service between Los Angeles and San Francisco, according to AFP news agency."

That would be awesome. On short to medium-sized travels (up to 500 km), the train is much more convenient and efficient than a plane. Trains leave on time, you can arrive at the station 5 min before departure, the train stations are a lot closer to downtown than the airports, and it's much, much less stress than planes: more legroom, less noise, less security checkpoints, no waiting to board the plane, no waiting to check-in your luggage, no waiting for the cab to get you to the airport...

 

[Steph]

And much more difficult to crash a plane into a skyscrapper

 

[CartesianFart]

It will never happen in United States of Mass-transit (as such as trains)being our means of transportation since it can't compete against major corporation of auto-mobile and passenger jets..

 

[Urederra]

Why do you think we develop our trains?
Going from Marseilles to Paris is often faster with the train than with a plane, especially if you need to go to the center

Same happens, I think, if you want to go from Madrid to Seville. And soon we'll have a GVT from Madrid to Barcelona and to Irun, that would connect Madrid and Paris via GVT.

 

[Masquerouge]

It will never happen in United States of Mass-transit (as such as trains)being our means of transportation since it can't compete against major corporation of auto-mobile and passenger jets..

I think there is a strong business case for high-speed trains in the US between major cities not too far apart - the East coast, for instance.

New York to Washington DC is about 240 miles. In a high-speed train the trip would take 90 minutes - from downtown (grand central) to downtown (Union Station). I don't think a plane can beat that.
San Francisco to Los Angeles is 390 miles - 2 hours by high-speed train.

Same happens, I think, if you want to go from Madrid to Seville. And soon we'll have a GVT from Madrid to Barcelona and to Irun, that would connect Madrid and Paris via GVT.

That would be awesome. And that would mean London and Madrid could potentially be connected by high-speed train.
Just to make sure, is GVT the same as the TGV?