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At 357 mph, train makes tracks for record book

A French company breaks the speed record for a conventional train. It was a rough ride.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published April 4, 2007

ABOARD TRAIN V150, France - The speedometer climbed higher and higher - and so did my heart rate.

Inside the last of three double-decker cars sandwiched between two engines, those of us aboard the French bullet train trying to set the speed record on conventional rails watched the digital numbers flash on a screen in kilometers per hour: 400, 450, 500, 550.

Looking out the windows, the French countryside became a green blur.

Then the magic number appeared: 574.8 kph, or 357.2 mph - faster than any train on rails had traveled.

The air pressure made my ears ache.

For its mission to break the speed record, the train was modified with a 25,000-horsepower engine, and adjustments also were made to the track, notably the banking on turns. The rails were treated so the wheels could make perfect contact, and electrical power in the overhead cable was increased from 25,000 volts to 31,000 volts.

The V150 was equipped with larger wheels than the normal French high-speed trains - to cover more ground with each rotation, said Alain Cuccaroni, in charge of the technical aspects of testing. The trains normally cruise at about 185 mph.

This was more than a stunt. The demonstration was meant to showcase technology that France wants to sell to multibillion-dollar markets such as China.

When we hit 242 mph, it felt like an airplane taking off. The pressure sent pain through my ears.

We soon broke the 1990 record of 320.2 mph - also set by a French train.

Then, near the village of Le Chemin, we hit the record of 357.2 mph.

I thought we were about to derail.

Only 15 minutes had passed since we departed.

"There are about 10,000 engineers who would want to be in my place," said the operator, Eric Pieczac. "It makes me very happy, a mixed feeling of pride and honor to be able to reach this speed."

Alstom Transports president Philippe Mellier said before the test that it would try to outdo the record of 361 mph set in 2003 by Japan's magnetically levitated train. But it fell just short.

China plans to build more than 7,500 miles of high-speed railways in coming years at a cost of more than $250-billion. France competes with Germany and Japan for contracts.

A California official was also here, studying the prospects for a high-speed line from Sacramento to San Diego, via San Francisco and Los Angeles.

When we reached our destination at Champagne-Ardennes train station, people cracked open bottles of champagne - slicing the necks with swords, a French tradition.

A few other people on the train described it as a "nice" ride - but most of us were glad to get off.

The experience left my knees shaky.

[Last modified April 4, 2007, 01:33:26]