Spitfire on rails

A French high-speed train (TGV) has smashed the world record for a train on conventional rails by a big margin, reaching 574.8km/h (356mph). . .

The record attempt by a modified TGV took place on a track between Paris and the eastern city of Strasbourg.

The absolute train speed record was set by a Japanese magnetic levitation train - Maglev - in 2003. It reached a top speed of 581km/h (361mph). . .

The train travelled almost as fast as a World War II Spitfire fighter at top speed.

From the BBC (with video footage). Note that the Spitfire comparison really applies only to early models (specs here and here).

Posted by David on April 3, 2007 10:53 AM