- 6/2/2025
For the second time, the TGV, France’s High-Speed Train, is the fastest train of the world. Yet, its engineers are continuously pushing for even higher speeds, having launched the new TGV Ocean and the AGV, the TGV of the future. It all began back in the 1950s with the CC 7100 series and its electric locomotive, which was considerably lighter than any of its predecessors. This technological gem made history by breaking the world’s speed record for trains. As the electrification of rail traffic proved a success more and more of the less powered steam locomotives were phased out. Since then, the successors of the original TGV have smashed all records for rail-bound traffic, culminating in 2007 with an incredible performance of 574 kilometers per hour.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00574.8 kilometers per hour. It's the new world record on rails.
00:10A jet takes off at 300 kilometers an hour. We're now doing almost twice that.
00:15The quest for super trains entered a new phase in the 1950s,
00:19when locomotives went from 140 kilometers per hour to the mad speed of 330 kilometers per hour,
00:26with equipment pushed to its limits and conductors facing unknown risks.
00:34The design techniques of the time made it impossible to predict what would happen.
00:42Thanks to 3D reconstructions, we will see the impact of innovative technology and construction secrets
00:48that enabled engineers to break records that were considered unattainable.
00:55The TGV runs with a helicopter turbine.
00:58We had to invent completely new tools.
01:01From generation to generation, trains were going faster and faster.
01:05There were some foolhardy projects, yet also a revolutionary engine.
01:10The aero train hovers thanks to its air cushion, so it almost completely eliminates friction.
01:16From the first electric locomotives pushed to their limits, to AGV trains approaching 600 kilometers per hour.
01:26Via the TGV and the aero train with its exceptional propulsion, this is the incredible story of the race for speed on rails.
01:37It all starts in the mid-1950s in post-war France.
01:59The mood is optimistic and speed is all the rage.
02:05And the speed of trains in particular.
02:08However, the steam locomotives of the 50s can't go beyond 140 kilometers per hour.
02:14Since, to reach this speed, the heat in the furnace must exceed 800 degrees Celsius.
02:20The temperature obtained thanks to the presence of multiple pipes in the water tank.
02:27The more tubes there are, the more heating surface there is, so the more steam can be released.
02:33One liter of cold water produces 173 liters of steam.
02:38This vapor exerts pressure on a piston.
02:41The piston creates a back and forth movement on a connecting rod.
02:45The connecting rod, attached to a wheel, will make the engine go faster and faster.
02:50The trains could now run up to 160 kilometers per hour.
02:54Yet, to exceed this speed, you have to rethink the train.
02:57And forget about coal-fired engines.
03:00With this in mind, the French engineers are looking for inspiration from the Paris Metro and its electrical technology.
03:07We immediately saw that electricity could produce much higher power at much lower costs.
03:13In 1952, the SNCF, France's state-run railway, decides to electrify the track between Paris and Lyon.
03:21A power station will provide the energy the train needs.
03:26A 1,500-volt current is thus transmitted in a copper wire above the railway track.
03:33Called a catenary.
03:36The faster a train goes, the tighter the catenary must be to allow the train to draw sufficient electricity.
03:49The rigidity of the copper wire is essential, since it has to withstand the pressure exerted by a key part of the train.
03:57It's the pantograph, a bow-like structure located on top of the lead car, which is responsible for collecting the electric current.
04:08The pantograph is a revolutionary invention.
04:11Seventy years later, it is still present on the most recent high-speed trains.
04:16It still weighs, as much as ever, nearly 200 kilograms.
04:21In the beginning, its details are a well-kept secret.
04:24Even today, several parts are still protected by patents, such as its rate of air resistance.
04:31The pantograph is a bit like an airplane wing.
04:35It pushes upwards.
04:38In spite of the pressure caused by the speed, the composition of the bow prevents it from being torn off.
04:45Its structure and attachments constitute an intricate piece of engineering.
04:49However, at this level of speed, there's a problem.
04:56By lifting the copper wire several centimeters, it would only take a few minutes for the bow to be cut in half under the effect of the speed.
05:03The engineers will have to find a solution.
05:07The catenary was laid out in zigzag form, so that it can glide across the pantograph.
05:13If the line was straight, it would have the effect of a saw, and then, after one kilometer, your pantograph would be cut in two.
05:22A bow is 70 or 65 centimeters wide.
05:28You have to use its whole length for the zigzag of the catenary, which may then glide sideways for several dozen centimeters.
05:35Once the contact is made, the current is sent to a transformer and then to the motors on the bogies.
05:42Huge carts with wheels.
05:44The electric current will thus directly feed the motors.
05:48It's a system that promises unprecedented power, enabling trains to reach levels of speed never before attained.
05:56Two manufacturers are chosen for the job.
06:00Austom and Schneider.
06:05That meant two locomotives, each with a different technology.
06:09The BB type and the CC.
06:12Schneider's BB has four wheels per bogie.
06:17Austom CC has six, which gives it better grip at high speed.
06:21Both trains will be a complete innovation on the railway market, and are intended to become showpieces of French engineering.
06:28However, there's no thought of chasing records yet.
06:31To inaugurate the new era on February 21st, 1954, the engineers will perform a test on the line between Paris and Lyon.
06:39The CC will go at full speed in order to observe its behavior.
06:51The train, which was designed to run at 160 kilometers per hour, actually ran at 243 kilometers per hour.
07:00243 kilometers per hour.
07:03It's a speed record.
07:06The success of this test with totally standard equipment will highly motivate the engineers.
07:14Now one of them, Fernand Nouvillon, is proposing the greatest railway challenge of the time.
07:20To launch the two new trains at full speed, while giving them a power never before developed.
07:31The question was, where can we stage a test at such speeds?
07:35And as it happens, in the southwest, there's a line which runs perfectly straight for 40 kilometers.
07:43Once the trajectory has been defined, some modifications are made to push the engines to the maximum of their possibilities.
07:50The conductivity of the catenary, through which the current passes, is increased to 2,000 volts, instead of the 1,500, which are the norm on the railway network.
08:02This way, the engines will develop powers of 8 megawatts, whereas they were designed for 3 or 4.
08:08That's more than double the design specifications.
08:10Nobody knows yet what problems may occur beyond 250 kilometers per hour.
08:16However, the engineers are imaginative.
08:24The windshields of the locomotives were fitted with wire mesh.
08:28There was a fear of bird strikes.
08:31At 300 kilometers per hour, this might cause severe damage to the driver's cabin.
08:34With such high starting power, it was also fear that during the first few meters, it would be difficult for the conductor to control the power of the engines and prevent the wheels from slipping.
08:47So, the manufacturers decided to create a special device to provide an anti-skid system.
08:57That's why there's sand on board the engines, to increase grip.
09:04The sand prevents slippage when starting up.
09:07It's still used on today's engines.
09:10They have tanks that open to pour out the necessary amount of sand.
09:17On March 28, 1955, the Austum CC sets off on the 40 kilometers of straight line.
09:25An engine equipped with the latest technology.
09:28It's hoped that it will reach a speed of 300 kilometers per hour, or more if possible.
09:36Soon, the CC reaches the record speed of the previous year.
09:40243 kilometers per hour, and the locomotive is ready to go much faster.
09:47The symbolic barrier of 300 kilometers per hour has been reached.
09:50Yet, at such a performance, the technology is being stretched to its limits.
09:55In particular, the catenary is showing worrying signs.
09:57The contact wire and the pantograph went like this.
10:03Electricity arced in all directions.
10:07The bow began to melt, and as the pantograph was almost destroyed, they took emergency measures and lowered it.
10:15The locomotive pulverizes 243 kilometers per hour.
10:25They had gone at over 300 kilometers per hour.
10:28Yet, the order is given to stop the train as soon as possible.
10:31The CC could have gone even faster, but it might also go off the rails at any moment.
10:41The men on board are in danger.
10:44A seemingly curious order is given to the engineers on the train.
10:47They were told to open all windows to allow air to get in and to decelerate the whole thing.
10:57There was no question at the time of breaking at 331 kilometers per hour.
11:02We just didn't know how to do it.
11:03Today, engines allow for testing emergency stops at such speeds.
11:12The 390 tons of the latest trains will stop after 3,000 meters.
11:19The CC only stopped after 10,000 meters, and there was severe damage to the engine.
11:26The CC had destroyed its transmission system and melted its pantograph.
11:31It had reached the limits of feasibility.
11:35The CC had broken the speed record.
11:40Yet, when it arrives at the platform, the feat is not made public.
11:45The top brass at the SNCF has issued a directive that the results shall not be communicated before the second day,
11:53and the performance of Schneider's BB train.
11:55There's fear that one of the two engines will be significantly less efficient than its competitor.
12:04The financial stakes for both companies are colossal.
12:08State orders for new trains would ensure business for years.
12:11The next day, March 29, 1955, is the turn of Schneider's BB to attempt the world record.
12:20After a few minutes, the train reaches a maximum speed of 331 kilometers per hour.
12:27On arrival, the results of the two tests are finally announced.
12:32Surprisingly, it's the same speed for the BB and the CC.
12:37It's a figure that satisfies everyone, but it's not true.
12:42The CC never reached 331 kilometers per hour, but stopped at 320.
12:47It could have gone faster, but for safety reasons, it was decided to make do with this speed.
12:53So the record, in fact, properly belongs to Schneider.
12:57What's more, the Schneider BB achieved this record with a handicap compared to the Alstom train.
13:04The day after the CC's performance, the temperature had risen considerably.
13:09On the day of the BB's run, it was much warmer.
13:12The difference of almost 10 degrees Celsius causes a noticeable relaxation of the catenary.
13:21A relaxed catenary poses the risk of considerable undulation when the pantograph exerts pressure from below.
13:29And that hinders current collection.
13:33Without these power cuts, the BB might have gone well beyond 331 kilometers per hour.
13:39Yet its performance close to the Alstom engine suits everyone.
13:44And the news of a world record set by two different engines resonates across borders.
13:50It made news headlines, regional as well as national, and even in the international press.
13:59331 kilometers per hour was the absolute world speed record for trains at the time.
14:05The double feet set an example for all countries looking for solutions in future rail traffic.
14:14The manufacturers, Alstom and Schneider, would charge a high price for their know-how,
14:20as the world market for trains offered spectacular possibilities.
14:23But these exploits also whet the appetite of other companies.
14:31Two years after the dual speed record, an engine straight out of the future sees the light of day.
14:37The ambition of its makers to shatter the state-financed record by surpassing 350 kilometers per hour.
14:43It's called the AeroTrain.
14:52This exceptional invention with its unique mechanics, which makes conventional trains look totally outdated,
14:58is the brainchild of Jean Bertin, an ingenious inventor in the field of aeronautics,
15:03a daring entrepreneur and a major player in advanced post-war research.
15:09His latest project, the AeroTrain, is a kind of rocket propelled horizontally by a system quite different from trains.
15:17To move at high speeds, the AeroTrain blows air under itself.
15:25It then lifts up by a few centimeters, thanks to its air cushion, and thus almost completely avoids friction.
15:35It's a technology that is dispensed with the wheel.
15:40After thousands of years, it was a gigantic step.
15:43The AeroTrain runs on an inverted T-shaped rail.
15:49A turbine drives fans to raise the whole configuration.
15:53The AeroTrain then rests on a real air cushion.
15:57A second helicopter turbine, positioned at the rear, drives a propeller of 2.4 meters in diameter, composed of seven blades.
16:08You just have to push, and on its cushion of air, it will move at an extraordinary speed.
16:16There is still air resistance, but no more rolling resistance.
16:23However, it takes another 10 years of studies before the ultimate prototype of the AeroTrain enters the race.
16:29Demonstrating to the world that it's the future of high-speed transport.
16:35On January 22, 1969, Jean Bertin launches its horizontal rocket on its concrete rail.
16:44The peak speed obtained, as announced by the engineer, seemed incredible.
16:49422 kilometers per hour, nearly 100 kilometers more than the 331 kilometers per hour of the previous record.
16:56While Jean Bertin continues to work on the prototype of his AeroTrain, the engineers of the Classic Railway are embarking on a new project.
17:06It has to be revolutionary as well.
17:08With a new design, a top speed never before reached, yet inspired by the AeroTrain in its motorization.
17:14The principle of the AeroTrain is adapted. The train will produce its own energy, without the help of a catenary.
17:25Inside the engine, a gas-powered turbine will activate an alternator, which in turn will create electricity, which then will feed the motors in the bogies.
17:34This new system will allow trains to run even faster, and to break the existing speed records.
17:40The TGV is born.
17:46TGV simply means high-speed turbotrain.
17:50The challenge for the railway engineers is set.
17:53To demonstrate the level of technology achieved by surpassing the existing record with the highest speed ever attained.
18:00But to do so, they will have to transform the old trains, that have served their purpose by new engines adapted to high speed.
18:12For the first time, a train isn't pulled by a locomotive, but made up of two motorized cars at each end, that can run in either direction.
18:20This is extremely important. A train that is reversible allows us to use it much better.
18:30If trains go faster, traffic on the tracks will intensify.
18:34Therefore, it's necessary to be able to save time on shunting in stations.
18:37Thanks to the new design, trains can leave in both directions.
18:43And that's a definite plus compared to the aero train, which can only run one way.
18:50The front and rear cars of the TGV also undergo an outward transformation.
18:54Since new levels of speed open a new field of concern.
18:59It's aerodynamics, or in short, drag.
19:05How can the previous speed record be broken when the design of the classic locomotives acts like a brake?
19:12Air resistance is catastrophic. Their front is worse than the wall.
19:17As it repels the air, it slows down the train.
19:19The result is a waste of electrical energy.
19:26Air resistance is a predominant factor in energy consumption.
19:31Better aerodynamics would allow power consumption to be reduced by 20%.
19:37The aim is to prevent the air from impacting the shape you have in mind as much as possible.
19:45The best examples of the time are the designs of cars.
19:54Their bodywork takes on new aerodynamic shapes.
19:58That's why Alstom, the builder of the future TGV, is going to call on the man who designed the latest Porsches.
20:05And that is Jacques Cooper.
20:07Cooper is going to transform the shape of the train.
20:12The point of the leading car is considerably lengthened.
20:16It's a revolution in railways, but an outright necessity so as not to be slowed down by the air mass.
20:21When we swim, we fight against a mass, and we make efforts to move forward against that mass.
20:30With air, it's exactly the same.
20:32As soon as you advance, you create turbulence.
20:35And the effect of that turbulence is that it holds the object back.
20:38Yet if the air can be better pierced by the front end of the train, it can still get caught between the cars.
20:47As was the case with previous trains.
20:49So how do you improve a train to break a speed record?
20:54What transformations must be applied so that the train can penetrate the opaque mass of air?
20:58You just have to imagine another revolution.
21:04And this one will concern the bogies.
21:07Those massive carriages comprising the axles and the wheels under the cars carrying the passengers.
21:15They are relocated to fit between the carriages and are hooked up by a cylinder.
21:21As a result, the train now looks like one long tube.
21:24The air no longer has any points of attack.
21:28And this design also offers a huge advantage from a safety point of view.
21:34Experience has shown that when a train derails, the cars stay firmly attached to each other.
21:41And this solidity prevents it from settling down.
21:45When the bogies were spread out under the trains, it was enough for the head end of the train to derail,
21:51so that the following cars would take completely random paths.
21:59With the bogies between the cars, the train becomes a single unit.
22:04And the chances of them going completely off the rails are almost nil.
22:12Fewer bogies in the train also mean that its overall weight can be reduced by several tens of tons.
22:17But if the TGV is going to break all speed records, the driver too needs extra help.
22:26In high-speed trains, the driver no longer has time to see the signals, so we had to invent another system.
22:32On TGVs, sensors are placed in front of the first axle and constantly read the speed at which the train is allowed to travel.
22:41On today's high-speed lines, it's still this procedure that enables the driver to keep the authorized speed.
22:48We have a safety system to alert the driver when he's going too fast, and if it doesn't get a reaction, it automatically activates a device that will stop the train.
23:02All these innovations are in place to ensure a smooth attempt at the world speed record.
23:07On December 8th, 1972, TGV 001 sets off on the same track as the previous trains.
23:18In the train, a wagon is filled with high-tech that analyzes its performance in real-time.
23:25Well, the engineers scrutinize the data on the train's behavior. All eyes are glued on the speed dial.
23:33318 km per hour. A promising start.
23:44If the helicopter turbine can be developed just a little more, the engineers think that they will reach the 420 km per hour of the aerotrain.
23:55Their company now has a potential riposte to the craze generated by Jean Bétain's engine.
24:01Alas, this is 1973, a year of worldwide repercussions which will condemn the future of the aerotrain and the TGV 001.
24:12The oil crisis causes a worldwide upheaval. The price for a barrel of crude explodes.
24:21And the helicopter turbines in the aerotrain and the TGV are big fuel consumers.
24:27So, in the end, this technique was a failure.
24:34The TGV project, as well as the aerotrain, are shelved.
24:38It killed the aerotrain. It killed my father. He died a few months later.
24:46Yet, during all these years, the aerotrain have made the conventional railroad seem like a thing of the past.
24:51And now, there's another means of electric transport.
24:55It's the Shinkansen, the new star of Japan's railways.
24:59Running at a commercial speed that's remarkable at the time, 210 km per hour.
25:05But the Shinkansen is not comparable to the French trains, because it's a shuttle with magnetic levitation.
25:10The cars lift thanks to powerful magnets.
25:15However, this vision of modern transport adds to the image of the train as being hopelessly outmoded.
25:20A minister at the time said, the train is finished.
25:27But the French engineers are determined to take up the challenge and to strike a big blow to reverse the trend.
25:38A lot of engineers went to see what was being done in Japan with the Shinkansen system.
25:48And that helped a lot to broaden views.
25:52Since on December 21, 1971, the Japanese train reaches 517 km per hour.
26:00An incredible speed.
26:02Yet, it's achieved on a special monorail track.
26:05While in France, tracks have to accommodate freight trains.
26:07And there are even still sections for classic trains.
26:10It's evident, however, that the race for speed is now run on a worldwide scale.
26:16And so, new technologies are called for.
26:19To compete in the race, it takes nothing less than a brand new train.
26:24However, it must comply with two requirements.
26:27It has to be 100% electric, so that it doesn't depend on rising oil prices.
26:32And it must be able to run at very high speeds every day.
26:35Yet, the engineers don't have to look far to find the answer.
26:39All it needs is the TGV with a new formula.
26:43Without its helicopter turbine, and re-equipped with a pantograph.
26:47In other words, a TGV 2.0.
26:49It's the one we know today.
26:52A train imagined almost 50 years ago.
26:56Yet, to run it at 250 km per hour every day, there is an obligation.
27:00There has to be a difference of 150 to 200 km per hour between the record speed of trains and the commercial speed.
27:12If you want a train that runs comfortably at 260 km per hour, and well within safety margins, you have to prove that the train can go over 380 km per hour without any problems.
27:24The margin is required to reassure not only the officials, but also future passengers.
27:30So once again, the race is on.
27:33The bar is set at 100 meters per second.
27:36The project is christened TGV 100.
27:38To prepare for the new speed record, not only will the train be profoundly modified, but the track too.
27:46Since the electric current coming from the power stations is going to jump from the traditional 1500 to 25,000 volts.
27:57To guarantee such a powerful electric current all along the line, you have to build substations at a distance of 50 km.
28:04These small bases will adapt and reduce the gross power sent by the central station.
28:14For the high speed line between Paris and Lyon, control and management of the substations is done from Paris.
28:21Here they check that the intensity of the power supply from the small copper wire is constant.
28:29The Catonry receives a current 20 times more powerful than before.
28:32But it also must be adapted to the specific conditions of a record run.
28:39Because the engineers anticipate a problem.
28:42The pantograph, by pressing on the Catonry at high speeds, will create a ripple in the copper wire.
28:50It's a phenomenon dreaded by engineers.
28:53If the pantograph catches up with the undulation, it will lose contact with the copper wire and only hit it intermittently.
29:00Because if you tear off the Catonry, it means disaster.
29:04So how do you make the Catonry lift as little as possible and stay in constant contact with the pantograph?
29:09On a high speed line, the Catonry is stretched to 2,600 DecaNewton.
29:16That's almost twice the tension on a conventional line.
29:20The counterweights on the masts are increased to further stiffen the structure that holds the Catonry.
29:26An indispensable process.
29:34The infrastructure on the ground is modified too, since the old 30 meter rails cause a shock each time the train passes over a weld.
29:42The whole system is therefore redesigned.
29:49We now manufacture rails that are almost 300 meters long and are delivered by special trains.
29:59These bars are assembled using a special technique.
30:02They're welded with aluminium.
30:04The result is a rail without any intermediate mechanical joint.
30:15The disadvantage of extremely long rails is that when temperatures rise, they tend to bend upwards along their entire length.
30:25So we chose very heavy rails, weighing 60 kilograms per meter, so they won't lift.
30:33With a target speed of 380 kilometers per hour, the infrastructure around the train has been rethought to correspond to the laws of physics.
30:43Yet no rail-bound train has ever approached the speed of the record envisaged.
30:49It's a leap into the unknown.
30:50The whole country has its eyes riveted on the record attempt.
30:55It's like launching a rocket in the horizontal.
30:58The tension mounts.
31:03In the car behind the driver, there are engineers to observe and retrieve the information provided by the train itself.
31:09Of course, the train was loaded with sensors, as during all the previous runs.
31:21On February 26, 1981, the TGV 100 gets rolling.
31:27For conductor Jacques Ruisse, going for the 380 kilometers per hour is beyond anything he's done before.
31:32In the cabin, you have a threshold at 170, where you can see the train's accelerating.
31:44Then you have another one at 210, and again at 280.
31:48However, Jacques Ruisse is not alone.
31:51Engineers and managers are present to assist the driver.
31:54On the photos, they tell me I look tense, but when you're going that fast, you can't let yourself be distracted by people in the cabin.
32:07One hundred and twenty seconds.
32:13Three hundred and seventy-two kilometers per hour.
32:18Seventy-three.
32:22Seventy-four.
32:23Seventy-five.
32:25Seventy-six.
32:27Seventy-seven.
32:31Seventy-eight.
32:35Seventy-nine.
32:37Seventy-four.
32:38Seventy-four.
32:39Seventy-four.
32:40Seventy-four.
32:41Seventy-four.
32:42Seventy-four.
32:43Seventy-four.
32:44Seventy-four.
32:45Seventy-four.
32:46Seventy-four.
32:47Seventy-four.
32:48Seventy-four.
32:49Seventy-four.
32:50Seventy-four.
32:51Seventy-four.
32:52Seventy-four.
32:53Seventy-four.
32:54Seventy-four.
32:55Seventy-four.
32:56Seventy-four.
32:57Seventy-four.
32:58Seventy-four.
32:59Seventy-four.
33:00Seventy-four.
33:01Seventy-four.
33:02Seventy-four.
33:03Seventy-four.
33:04The limits of the TGV 100 have been reached, yet the performance is unprecedented with
33:12the train and installations that will be used in everyday traffic.
33:16It's state-of-the-art technology at the service of passengers.
33:19This train is not a utopia, it's the very train that will race into the future.
33:25The interesting aspect was that we were breaking records with commercial equipment.
33:32The world record makes the TGV a worldwide success, and the lines spread all over France.
33:41The high-speed train becomes the new icon of the railway, passengers are eager to board
33:45the orange train, but like all records, this one too will be hunted down.
33:56Seven years later, on May 1st 1988, the German manufacturer Siemens sends its ICE
34:02between Hannover and Würzburg at 406 km per hour.
34:12France loses its title.
34:14It's a blow to the nation's pride.
34:16At the manufacturer Alstom, there is only one goal now, that of overtaking the Germans.
34:23All forces are going to focus on this objective.
34:27The commercial future of one of the jewels of French technology is at stake.
34:35They must strike hard this time, so as not to be overtaken again a few months later.
34:40The aim is to crush any hopes of being on an equal footing with the French railway industry.
34:46The envisaged speed must kill off all competition for a long time to come.
34:50We were hoping to break the 500 mark.
34:57500 km an hour, a mythical barrier.
35:01Yet how are the engineers going to achieve this feat?
35:04Will they be able to improve the rigidity of the catenary, so that it won't be torn at
35:09over 380 km per hour?
35:12And what are the new constraints at that speed?
35:18At 600 km per hour, an airbus is well into the air.
35:23Again, they have to push the limits of the train and work on its body of steel.
35:30Since during the previous record, at 380 km per hour, the sides of the train began to erode.
35:37The bay windows protruded slightly from the sheet metal.
35:40So the higher the speed, the more they were exposed to the air rush.
35:49And we're talking about sheet metal just a few millimeters thick.
35:54With an imperfect airflow, everything that protrudes is gnawed away.
36:01So when the train's underway, there's a continuous abrasion of three to four hours.
36:06The effect is a real brake on the train, so the fuselage has to be perfected down to the
36:11last millimeter.
36:13For the first time, rubber membranes are placed between the cars.
36:19The designers work on the aerodynamics of the first car, but also on the tail end of the
36:23train, so that the air will flow without too much rupture.
36:28Multiple shields are placed on the bogies to prevent the air from getting inside.
36:34The diameter of the wheels, which is traditionally 920 millimeters, is increased to gain speed.
36:42On top of the train, the pantograph is put on a firmer suspension so as not to lift the
36:46catenary as happened during the 1981 record, when the copper wire had been pushed up about
36:5220 centimeters.
36:55It's tightened once again to ensure the closest possible contact with the bow.
37:04But it's not only the train that is modified.
37:07The infrastructure is also adapted.
37:11The line is secured by two to three meter high fences all along its length to prevent accidents
37:16involving animals crossing the tracks.
37:22Game struck by a TGV at 300 kilometers per hour causes a lot of damage.
37:30But fences may not be enough.
37:33There's also surveillance along the tracks.
37:39There are some hunters and hunting federations with whom we have partnerships, who will hunt
37:45the game along the line or try to scare it away.
37:51Everything's ready for the record.
37:53But before they invite the press from all over the world, a number of high-speed tests will
37:58be performed.
38:00Several times the train approaches the 500 mark.
38:03We were gradually increasing the speed, and each time we'd monitor all the data to check
38:08that we were still within a safe margin.
38:11Then, on May 18, 1990, we told the top brass, OK, we can go.
38:17The public holds its breath as the record attempt is covered live on television.
38:27Are the engineers going to win their bet and exceed 500 kilometers per hour on rails?
38:32Nobody has ever done it.
38:35Suspense is total.
38:37Speed 494.
38:39Passing Vendôme station in a few seconds.
38:43Passing Vendôme station.
38:45Speed 495.17.
38:49Just a few kilometers per hour away from the magic 500.
38:53The engine is on board, yet anything can still happen.
38:55The cagnery may rip.
38:56The pantograph may be torn away by the speed.
38:59The engineers on board scrutinize the reactions recorded by the sensors.
39:03Anxiety and excitement become one until the delivery.
39:07500.
39:09514, 15, 515 points something.
39:18I'll read out later.
39:19Cut all tractions.
39:20We're watching.
39:21It's not over yet.
39:29After being held for two years by the Germans, France recovers the rail speed record
39:34on May 18, 1990.
39:38The German interlude apart, France has held the world record for the past 36 years.
39:44The TGV brand has re-established itself and is exported all over the world.
39:5216 years will pass until in 2006 the railway engineers roll up their sleeves once again.
39:59France's state railway is preparing the opening of a new line between Paris and Strasbourg.
40:05A new speed record on this track will give it an exceptional boost.
40:13The new track offers 200 kilometers at high speed,
40:16with a straight section of more than 40 kilometers and bends with comfortably large radii.
40:23The V-150 project for 150 meters per second has been born.
40:27And again, there'll be a new version of the TGV, a real super train.
40:35It's the AGV, the Austom high-speed train with new motorization.
40:39A rotor that rotates inside the engine and drives the wheels.
40:46The AGV engine weighs three quarters of a ton and consists of two parts.
40:51There's a stator made of sheet metal, inside of which a motor winding receives the electric current.
40:59In its center, there is a rotor made of an assembly of sheet metal and cobalt magnets,
41:04providing a magnetic force of exceptional dimensions.
41:10The stator turns the rotor.
41:13The power thus generated is phenomenal for a motor classified as light.
41:17But there's another special feature.
41:22There isn't only a motor at the head and the tail of the train.
41:26There's also one on each of the bogies between the cars.
41:29All metal tools were banned from the production lines because the tiniest key or any hammer
41:41would immediately stick to the magnets.
41:44The technicians had enormous difficulties mounting these motors.
41:49The power of the engines is considerable.
41:52Theoretically, the train can approach 600 kilometers per hour.
41:56It's eight engines are equivalent to 8,000 cars.
42:02As for the outward design, the AGV is given an even more rounded shape.
42:11We were approaching the sphere of aviation technology.
42:16Yet at more than 500 kilometers per hour, there are new problems, like strong crosswinds.
42:22They can tip up to 80% of the weight of the train to one side.
42:26Crosswinds meeting two square a shape, even if it's tapered,
42:34will tend to cause much more lift.
42:36So that's why we rounded the corners even more.
42:43At the front, the windshield also becomes flush for better penetration of the air.
42:48And in the bodywork, the engineers have hidden over 600 sensors to record the train's behavior.
42:54There are even miniature recorders on the wheels.
43:03During the first tests, the train goes over 500 kilometers per hour.
43:07But then, the hubcaps covering the sensors give way.
43:10At this speed, they're simply torn off by the airstream.
43:14So the manufacturer decides to put thicker covers on the sensors.
43:21Yet it's the covers that cause a real panic during a test run.
43:24Five days prior to the date set for the record attempt, on March 29, 2007,
43:30the press is invited aboard the AGV to spread word on the comfort of traveling at 500 kilometers per hour.
43:37When we reached 506 kilometers per hour, we heard a phenomenal noise, which, of course, scared everyone.
43:47It's caused by one of the hubcaps that came off the wheel.
43:50People were clinging to their seats, thinking, my God, what's happening?
43:58The train performs an emergency stop.
44:02And this time, it takes a mere three kilometers to stop, instead of ten.
44:07It's a new record, but one that was never meant to be set.
44:10For the first time in history, a train has made a stop of more than 500 kilometers per hour.
44:17But it proves that the train can cope with the most unexpected situations.
44:22In less than three months, 40 tests are carried out, gradually increasing the speed.
44:28On April 2, 2007, the train even reaches 568 kilometers per hour.
44:35An incredible speed that takes everyone by surprise.
44:38Nobody imagined that the train might go that fast during the tests.
44:43Even the plane chartered to take pictures was not fast enough to keep up with the train.
44:53The plane had to fly at low altitude, so its speed was limited.
44:57And in this case, the train was going faster than the plane.
45:03All the indicators give the green light.
45:05The next day, the French and the international media follow the world's speed record attempt live on TV.
45:14Will the train exceed the 515 kilometers per hour of the 1990 record?
45:19It's 1 p.m.
45:36The train leaves from the town of Prony in the direction of Nancy, Paris.
45:39After 10 kilometers, the AGV begins to accelerate in earnest, fed by the electrical voltage sent to the catenary from this point onwards.
45:51The normal voltage of 25,000 volts had been increased to 31,000 volts to provide additional power.
45:58That's a 35,000 volts more.
45:59That's a 25 percent rise in the power sent to the copper wire.
46:07Here we go.
46:07Initial voltage, 31.2 kV.
46:10The rigidity of the catenary brought about by the counterweights on the masts has been increased by 50 percent to withstand the wave generated by the bow.
46:36You can't jump from 2 tons to 4 tons.
46:43That would be too abrupt.
46:44We stretch to 2.8 tons, then to 3 tons, so that we have progressive tension and approach the record zone with a tension of 4 tons.
46:53The train is of full power, but if the speed is too high, the train will derail.
46:58There was a succession of curves with ever larger radii.
47:03In the first curve, we could run at 350 kilometers an hour.
47:07We'd seen that up to 350 all would go well, but at 3.55 the train would lean over sideways and derail.
47:14It takes Eric Pieczak just 10 minutes to reach the speed of the previous record from 1990.
47:25515.3 kilometers per hour.
47:30And the speed is getting higher and higher.
47:3813 minutes.
47:39574.8 kilometers per hour.
47:46Or almost 160 meters per second.
47:50Attention all.
47:51After control and validation, the official speed reached during our run is 574.8 kilometers per hour.
47:5917 years after the 1990 exploits, the third generation TGV exceeds the previous record by 59 kilometers per hour.
48:11It's almost half the speed of sound.
48:13The commercial speed with passengers can therefore be pushed to 320 kilometers per hour on a daily basis.
48:20Today we're driving at speeds that were world records not so long ago.
48:24Exceeding 574 kilometers per hour has become the yardstick for any country when attempting a record.
48:34Japan has achieved this by driving at over 600 kilometers per hour.
48:38However, on rails that can only support the Shinkansen.
48:43Yet, there are other nations ready to enter the race.
48:47The Chinese would love to take this record away from us.
48:49Let's wait and see.
48:53The Americans and their brilliant inventor Elon Musk are working on it with an incredible concept.
48:59The Hyperloop.
49:01The passengers will sit in a capsule and the cylindrical train will move in a long vacuum tube.
49:08Thanks to a levitation system created by powerful magnets, the capsule will be hovering without friction
49:14and without air resistance, so that nothing can hinder the shuttle's progress.
49:20With a powerful electric motor, it could reach speeds unimaginable a few years ago and exceed 1,000 kilometers per hour.
49:29But this is still only a concept and it has met with considerable skepticism.
49:34Maybe I'm a bit harsh, but for me it's a PR stunt.
49:43How can you drive a vehicle at an extremely high speed in a vacuum tube without running into a great number of problems?
49:52Then there's the psychological side.
49:55Imagine a passenger locked up in a vacuum tube for 10, 20, 30 minutes on end.
50:00The other problem, one already encountered by Jean Betin's Aerotrain,
50:09is the prohibitive cost of the infrastructure for the Hyperloop.
50:16Like the Aerotrain, these systems require that whole urban areas be flattened to allow them access to city centers,
50:22whereas the TGV is able to run on tracks that have been around for two centuries.
50:31A new speed record reaching 650 or 700 kilometers per hour would mean that commercial trains could run at 380 or even 400 kilometers per hour.
50:41Yet at this level, the budget would explode.
50:44The faster we go, the more expensive it gets to manufacture and maintain the cars.
50:54Costs for going from 320 to 380 kilometers per hour would quadruple.
51:00For the time being, the race for speed is taking a break.
51:03It will be many years before engineers will work on a new record.
51:10These days, ecological aspects call for moderation and demand is focused on passenger comfort.
51:19From the first locomotives running on electricity, like the CC7100, to the latest double-decker TGV trains,
51:27and the incredible Aerotrain.
51:34The race for speed on rails has helped to develop a know-how that is unique and is exported all over the world.
51:42The TGV 4.0, planned for the next decade, will be a synthesis of all the technological innovations implemented over the past 50 years.
51:56Comfort of transport, silent running within the cars, a low-carbon footprint, 5G connectivity,
52:03everything is combined to make this train the new state-of-the-art reference for rail travel.
52:11The Japanese, with their Maklev rocket, exceeded 603 kilometers per hour for about 10 seconds.
52:20A new world record for a levitating train, thanks to powerful magnets.
52:24The TGV 4.0, still holds the record for a train that can run on rails, which are decades old.
52:35Yet, there's the vision of cracking the 700 mark.
52:39And history has shown that sometimes, even the most incredible goals can be reached.
52:54war whatsappt
52:58110
53:01To
53:020
53:03About 7
53:077
53:09Now
53:10Les
53:11You
53:11You
53:11You
53:12Who
53:12You
53:13Your
53:13Your
53:13You
53:13You
53:14You
53:14You
53:16You
53:18You
53:20You
53:20You
53:20This
53:21You
53:22You
53:23This
Recommended
16:11
|
Up next
6:20
10:50
43:26
1:55
5:04
16:13
6:15
6:16
0:27
50:11
45:27
6:17