The world record for a conventional wheeled passenger train is held by France's TGV (''Train à Grande Vitesse''), set in 2007 when it reached on a section of track. Japan's experimental maglev train L0 Series achieved on a 42.8 km magnetic levitation track in 2015.

World speed records

Legend: ; Arr (Arrangement) : Disposition and number of elements forming the train. :; Loc:One locomotive pulling one or more cars) :; Multi :Multi Motorized Elements :; Single :Single rail vehicle ; Power: DC, DC 3rd rail, AC, Single phase, Triphase, Diesel-elec., Gas, Steam, Diesel-hydraulic,

Propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...

, Rocket, Jet. ; State: "Proto." (Prototype), "Unmod." (Unmodified from vehicles in service), "unknown" (Unknown), "Tuned"

All passenger trains

The following is a partial list of absolute world speed records for all trains designed to carry passengers, regardless of gauge, propulsion or type of rail, , - , , , , 1938-20-07 , , Bologna-Milano line between Pontenure and Piacenza , , Italy , , FS Class ETR 200 , , Loc , , DC , , Unmod. , , , - , , , , 1938-03-07 , ,

East Coast Main Line The East Coast Main Line (ECML) is a electrified railway between London and Edinburgh via Peterborough, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle. The line is a key transport artery on the eastern side of Great Britain running broa ...

between Peterborough and Grantham , , United Kingdom , , LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard , , Loc , , Steam , , Unmod. , , Authenticated speed. World Steam Speed Record Holder to this day. Analysis of the original dynamometer rolls in 2018 however points to several issues with the original authentication and a sustained maximum speed of 199.36 km/h (124 mph). , - , , , , 1934-07-20 , , , , United States , , Milwaukee Road class F6 #6402 , , Loc , , Steam , , Unmod , , A point between

Oakwood, Illinois Oakwood is a village in Oakwood Township, Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is part of the Danville, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,595 at the 2010 census, and 1,507 in 2018. Geography Oakwood is located ...

and Lake, Wisconsin. Also averaged on from Chicago, Illinois to Milwaukee, and for a stretch , - , , , , 1934-11-30 , ,

, , United Kingdom , , LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman , , Loc , , Steam , , Unmod. , , In 1934, Flying Scotsman achieved the first authenticated by a steam locomotive. , - , , , , 1829 , , Rainhill Trials , , United Kingdom , ,

Stephenson's Rocket Stephenson's ''Rocket'' is an early steam locomotive of 0-2-2 wheel arrangement. It was built for and won the Rainhill Trials of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR), held in October 1829 to show that improved locomotives would be mo ...

, , Loc , , Steam , , Unmod. , ,

Conventional wheeled

The following is a list of verified absolute world speed records for conventional wheeled rail vehicles.

Electric

The following is a list of speed records for rail vehicles with electric traction motors and powered by electricity transferred to the train.

Fuel-electric

The following is a list of speed records for rail vehicles with on-board fuel to generate electricity for traction motors such as diesel-electric locomotive, diesel electric multiple unit and gas turbine-electric locomotive trains.

Fuel-mechanic

The following is a list of speed records for rail vehicles with on-board fuel to mechanical energy to drive vehicle's wheels such as diesel-hydraulic trains and gas turbine locomotive trains that use mechanical transmission to power the drive wheels.

Steam

The following is a list of speed records for

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

s. ''Note: All records with a faster speed than (the record set by

Mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...

) are claimed and have not been officially verified.'' Note:

Air propulsion

The following is a list of speed records for rail vehicles that use air propulsion to move rail vehicles while the wheels are rolling along the track. Using an air cushion and a monorail, the Aérotrain set on 5 March 1974 a mean speed of and a peak speed of .

Conventional wheeled — Narrow gauge

Maglev trains

Rocket sleds

World fastest point-to-point average speeds in commercial operations

The following are the lists of world record average operating speeds between two stations. The average speeds are measured by the total time and the distance between the two stations.

All commercially operated trains

References

External links

TGV 2007 record

Alstom V 150Alstom Press release

Reuters TGV recordReuters TGV record video

RDECOM magazine 'Super Roadrunner' breaks land speed record

846 TS HYPERSONIC UPGRADE PROGRAM (contains World Speed Record video)

*

* ttp://www.railway.bham.ac.uk/courses/conference_1105/plenary_1-p/1_2_hughes_text_pdf.pdf Railway developments worldwide
World Speed Survey 2007
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Railway Gazette International ''Railway Gazette International'' is a monthly business magazine and news website covering the railway, metro, light rail and tram industries worldwide. Available by annual subscription, the magazine is read in over 140 countries by transport p ...

September 2007''
Photos of the fastest trains
{{extreme motion History of rail transport Land speed records Rail Rail transport-related lists

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