![TGV World Speed Record 574 km per hour](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/TGV_World_Speed_Record_574_km_per_hour.jpg)
The world record for a conventional wheeled passenger train is held by France's
TGV
The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...
(''Train à Grande Vitesse''), set in 2007 when it reached on a section of track.
Japan's experimental
maglev
Maglev (derived from '' magnetic levitation''), is a system of train transportation that uses two sets of electromagnets: one set to repel and push the train up off the track, and another set to move the elevated train ahead, taking advantage ...
train
L0 Series
The is a high-speed maglev train that the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) is developing and testing. JR Central plans to use the L0 series on the Chūō Shinkansen railway line between Tokyo and Osaka, which is under construction ...
achieved on a 42.8 km
magnetic levitation
Magnetic levitation (maglev) or magnetic suspension is a method by which an object is suspended with no support other than magnetic fields. Magnetic force is used to counteract the effects of the gravitational force and any other forces.
The ...
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
In electrical engineering, single-phase electric power (abbreviated 1φ) is the distribution of alternating current electric power using a system in which all the voltages of the supply vary in unison. Single-phase distribution is used when loads ...
,
Triphase, Diesel-elec.,
Gas
Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, liquid, and plasma).
A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or ...
, 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
Pontenure ( egl, label= Piacentino, Pontnür ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Piacenza in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northwest of Bologna and about southeast of Piacenza.
Pontenure borders the following ...
and
Piacenza
Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...
, ,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, ,
FS Class ETR 200
The ETR 200 (for ''" Elettro Treno Rapido 200"'', in Italian meaning "Rapid Electric Train ''series'' 200") is an Italian electric multiple unit (EMU) introduced in 1936.
On 20 July 1939 the ETR 200 number 12 obtained the world record average spe ...
, , 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
Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...
and
Grantham
Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...
, ,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, ,
LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard
LNER Class A4 4468 ''Mallard'' is a 4-6-2 ("Pacific") steam locomotive built in 1938 for operation on the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) at Doncaster Works to a design of Nigel Gresley. Its streamlined, wind tunnel tested design all ...
, , 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
The Milwaukee Road classes F6 and F6-a comprised twenty-two steam locomotives of the 4-6-4 configuration, commonly nicknamed “Hudson” but known as “Baltic” on the Milwaukee Road.
The fourteen class F6 locomotives were not delivered fro ...
#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 locate ...
and
Lake, Wisconsin. Also averaged on from
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
to
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
, and for a stretch
, -
, ,
, , 1934-11-30
, ,
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 ...
, , United Kingdom
, ,
LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman
LNER Class A3 4472 ''Flying Scotsman'' is a 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotive built in 1923 for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) at Doncaster Works to a design of Nigel Gresley. It was employed on long-distance express East Coast M ...
, , 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 motor
A traction motor is an electric motor used for propulsion of a vehicle, such as locomotives, electric vehicle, electric or hydrogen vehicles, elevators or electric multiple unit.
Traction motors are used in electrically powered rail vehicles (ele ...
s such as
diesel-electric locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover (locomotive), prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conv ...
,
diesel electric multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...
and
gas turbine-electric locomotive
A gas turbine locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover (locomotive), prime mover is a gas turbine. Several types of gas turbine locomotive have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is ...
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
A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving wheels ...
trains and
gas turbine locomotive
A gas turbine locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a gas turbine. Several types of gas turbine locomotive have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving ...
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
A monorail (from "mono", meaning "one", and "rail") is a railway in which the track consists of a single rail or a beam.
Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurately, ...
, the
Aérotrain
The Aérotrain was an experimental Tracked Air Cushion Vehicle
(TACV), or hovertrain, developed in France from 1965 to 1977 under the engineering leadership of Jean Bertin (1917–1975) – and intended to bring the French rail network to the c ...
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
See also
*
Land speed record
The land speed record (or absolute land speed record) is the highest speed achieved by a person using a vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C ("Special Vehicles") flying start regula ...
*
List of vehicle speed records
The following is a list of speed records for various types of vehicles. This list only presents the single greatest speed achieved in each broad record category; for more information on records under variations of test conditions, see the specific ...
*
List of high-speed trains
The following is a list of high-speed trains that have been, are, or will be in commercial service.
A high-speed train is generally defined as one which operates at or over in regular passenger service, with a high level of service, and often ...
*
High-speed rail
High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...
* , experimental car, driven by propeller, speed record for rail vehicles on 21 June 1931, on the
Berlin–Hamburg Railway
The Berlin–Hamburg Railway (german: Berlin-Hamburger Bahn) is a roughly long railway line for passenger, long-distance and goods trains. It was the first high-speed line upgraded in Germany to be capable of handling train speeds of over ...
References
External links
TGV 2007 record
Alstom V 150Alstom Press releaseReuters TGV recordReuters TGV record videoRDECOM magazine 'Super Roadrunner' breaks land speed record846 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 worldwideWorld Speed Survey 2007 ''
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 or rails may refer to:
Rail transport
*Rail transport and related matters
*Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway
Arts and media Film
* ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini
* ''Rail'' ( ...
Rail transport-related lists
1300