The French government-run SNCF train service is often associated with late arrivals and strikes, but not today as the TGV broke the world speed record for conventional trains at 357 m
ph. The previous speed record, also held by an SNCF-sponsored train, was 320.2 mph while today's attempt still did not best that of the Japanese Maglev train in 2003, which traveled 361 mph but was magnetically suspended above the rails.
France's largest state-owned and private TV networks showed the event live with repeats throughout the day, which was hailed as a milestone in French history. Technicians wore t-shirts that said "L’excellence Française” (French Excellence)--I won't comment on that one.
Besides accolades made about SNCF's Gallic know how, much ado was made about possible inroads France's railway system could make in markets outside of France, especially in Asia, and how the speed record demonstrated the SNCF's technology prowess.
However, I did not read, hear, or watch much commentary in the French media about the readiness of France's railway system to replace the truck transport industry. After all trains here largely run on electricity--which many people still don't associate with CO2 and other emissions.
An engineer at SNCF told me that the infrastructure is available for a major shift to rail transport for the shipments of goods in France, and that the cost-saving potential is increasing as oil prices rise. But for whatever reason, the government has yet to push the right buttons, either through creating subsidies or instituting mandates to replace commercial trucks with trains, the engineer said. I hope to speak with
him again soon, and to find out more about what he thinks is going on.
