France breaks world speed record for rail trains

A high-speed French train with a souped-up engine and wheels broke the world speed record for conventional rail trains today, exceeding 354.1mph.

The black-and-chrome train with three double-decker carriages, named the V150, bettered the previous record of 320.2 mph but fell just short of the ultimate record set by Japan’s magnetically levitated train, which sped to 581kph (361 mph) in 2003.