The TGV set the world speed record of 574.8 km/h in 2007. The record was achieved by modified TGV POS trainset 4402 during Operation V150 on 3 April 2007.
The run took place on France’s newly built LGV Est line between Paris and Strasbourg. Engineers adapted the train and track for testing: the train used larger wheels, aerodynamic refinements, increased electrical voltage and specially prepared equipment. The “V150” name referred to the target speed of 150 metres per second.
This was a test under exceptional conditions, not the speed used by ordinary passenger services. The record applies to conventional, steel-wheel rail vehicles; Japan’s L0 Series maglev later reached 603 km/h in testing. The TGV’s 2007 mark surpassed its own 1990 conventional-rail record of 515.3 km/h.