SpeedSpeed
Speed record of a train on wheels
574.8 km/h
357.16 mph
- Record holder
- SNCF TGV POS
- Date
✓ Value cross-checked in a second source
.jpg){kind=link}
How the record evolved
The last record set in each decade, up to the current record (highlighted).
| Year | Record | Holder |
|---|---|---|
| 574.8 km/h | SNCF TGV POS | |
| 515.3 km/h | SNCF TGV Atlantique | |
| 482.4 km/h | SNCF TGV Atlantique | |
| 331 km/h | Jeumont-Schneider SNCF BB 9003-9004 | |
| 205 km/h | DRG SVT 137 233-234 "Bauart Leipzig" | |
| 48 km/h | Stephenson's Rocket |
Put them in order
Sort these records from the oldest to the most recent.
- 331 km/hJeumont-Schneider SNCF BB 9003-9004
- 48 km/hStephenson's Rocket
- 482.4 km/hSNCF TGV Atlantique
- 574.8 km/hSNCF TGV POS
What to remember
On the LGV Est high-speed line, on 3 April 2007, TGV POS trainset 4402 reached 574.8 km/h. For the run it was made up of two power cars and three trailers, a tuned set. It is the world record on steel rails, in other words for a train running on wheels.
Built by Alstom for the SNCF, the TGV POS is named after its route: Paris, Eastern France, Southern Germany (Paris-Ostfrankreich-Süddeutschland). It was ordered for the LGV Est, which was put into service in 2007, and runs on three power systems so it can continue beyond Strasbourg into Germany and Switzerland.
One mark per decade is enough to tell the story of rail speed: 48 km/h for Stephenson's Rocket in 1829, 205 km/h for a German “Bauart Leipzig” set in 1936, 331 km/h for the BB 9003-9004 in 1955, then 515.3 km/h for the TGV Atlantique in 1990. Since the Rocket, the speed has been multiplied by 11.98.
Related records
Sources and licences
- Value, holder and date: Wikipedia article “List of speed records in rail transport” (revision used 1378984260). Data from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo: flybyeigenheer, Photo licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
Guess another record
SpeedLoading the question…