French Train Sets 350 Mph Rail Record

A French high-speed train set a new speed record for rail travel of 350 mph between Paris and Strasbourg on Tuesday.

The silver and black train a grande vitesse, or TGV, was built by the Alstom company for the state-run SNCF rail service, the BBC reported.

It sandwiches three double-decker passenger cars between two engines that produce more than 25,000 horsepower. Its wheels are much larger than conventional trains to gain more ground with each rotation, the report said.

The previous TGV record of 320 mph was set in 1990, also in France. The overall train speed record is 361 mph, set in 2003 in Japan by a magnetic levitation train.

Alstom officials said their goal is to expand foreign train sales against competition from Germany and Japan.