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 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, 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 ...

, ,

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 spee ...

, , 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 b ...

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 unti ...

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 a ...

, ,

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 ...

, ,

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 a ...

, , 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 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 ...

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 i ...

, and for a stretch , - , , , , 1934-11-30 , ,

, , 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 ...

, , 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 m ...

, , 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 or hydrogen vehicles, elevators or electric multiple unit. Traction motors are used in electrically powered rail vehicles ( electric multip ...

s such as

diesel-electric locomotive 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 ...

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 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 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 w ...

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 loco ...

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, Argen ...

) 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 accurat ...

, 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

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
''

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 ...

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 Year 1300 ( MCCC) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 1300th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 300th year of the 2nd millennium, the 100t ...