The attempt on the rail speed record, organized by Réseau Ferré de France, Alstom Transport and SNCF, forms part of the French Excellence in Very High Speed Rail Transport program. Beyond the technical achievement, the trials conducted at very high speed serve as a real-life test of the performance and reliability of the infrastructure and material. The attempt on the record rounds off a program of trials designed to test, measure and validate the aerodynamic behaviour and stability of the trainset, its bogies, current collection capabilities, the quality of wheel-rail contact, the behaviour of the new AGV™ traction equipment and of the track, tunnels, bridges and overhead line.

 

• Painstaking preparation

Since 15 January 2007, a team of over 40 RFF, Alstom and SNCF engineers and technicians has been taking part in tests conducted under real life conditions, as part of the V150 program designed to demonstrate French excellence in very high-speed rail travel. With such a project, nothing can be left to chance: infrastructure, materials employed, internal and external measurement tools and controls, in addition to exterior conditions, have all been studied in minute detail and prepared ahead of the record attempt, during which the aim is to reach a speed of 540km/h, or 150 metres per second. Adaptations to the infrastructure of the LGV™ ("Ligne à Grande Vitesse") high-speed line and to the material were necessary in order to obtain exceptional quality, aerodynamics and power. These included preventative grinding of the track, adjustments to the overhead line voltage and measures to reduce rolling resistance.

• The V150 trainset: concentrated power and technology

Manufactured by Alstom, the V150 reached the European East Technicenter - located in the Parisian suburb of Pantin-Bobigny and charged with the trainset daily maintenance - on 19 December 2006.

It is made up of two POS power cars (built by Alstom in Belfort and adapted by the SNCF workshops in Bischheim) that will ultimately operate on the East TGV™ line, three TGV™ Duplex double-decker carriages and three AGV™ motorized bogies. In total, the V150 can develop an output of 19.6 megawatts (over 25,000 horsepower), against 9.3 megawatts (12,500 horsepower) for a conventional TGV™ and almost twice as much power as is developed by all the cars present on the grid at the start of a Formula 1 Grand Prix race.

• Concentrated expertise

The development and construction of the V150 trainset are the fruit of 14 months of work - involving 100,000 man hours of development and preparation - by 100 engineers and technicians. Over 200 hours of testing enabled 40 trial runs to be completed over a 7-week period, at speeds exceeding 450km/h and over a distance of more than 3,200km. Over 600 measurement points were analysed by the 40 technicians on board the laboratory car.

• Unique design for an exceptional event

Image bearer for French excellence in very high-speed rail travel, the V150 sports a livery to merit the occasion. lnspired by the words of Roger Tallon, the famous French designer responsible for the lines of the very first TGVs, the trainset is wrapped in a "jet of chrome" against a black background, evocative of the world of cutting-edge technology, high performance and absolute speed.

Press contacts
Camille JORCIN
01 49 09 27 05
camille.jorcin@ tbwa-corporate.com

Jennifer ATTIAS
01 49 09 25 73
jennifer.attias@tbwa-corporate.com

Hélène SAINT RAYMOND
01 49 09 85 77
helene.saint-raymond@tbwa-corporte.com

Virginie Hourdin, Alstom Transport
01 41 66 97 24 / 06 12 54 51 45

Clotilde Provost, Alstom Transport
01 41 66 91 43 / 06 73 87 44 58

TGV™, Train à Grande Vitesse, is a trademark of the SNCF
AGV™, Automotrice Grande Vitesse, is a trademark of Alstom
POS™, Paris-Ostfrankreich-Süddeutschland