French bullet train breaks world speed record
A high-speed French train with a souped-up engine broke the world speed record yesterday for conventional rail trains, reaching 574.8 kilometres an hour, that's around 357 MPH!
The black-and-chrome train with three double-decker cars, named the V150, bettered the previous record of 515.3 km/h, set in 1990 by the French fast train.
However, it fell short of the ultimate record set by Japan's non-conventional magnetically levitated train, which sped to 581 km/h in 2003.
The endeavour, some 200 kilometres east of the capital on a new track linking Paris with Strasbourg, showcased technology France is trying to sell to overseas markets like China.
Sparks flew overhead and a long tail of dust kicked up behind the train as it whizzed through the French countryside, roaring like a jet plane.
People lined bridges clapping and cheering as the train zipped underneath them.
Regular runs begin June 10.
I saw the video on this, just amazing.
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