Cab view of a testing run at 353,5 Km/h (~220 mph, see the speed tachymeter on the left corner of front window) in this Dasye TGV trainset on the new high speed line named "LGV Rhin Rhone". This new line is the way from East France to middle and South France without crossing near Paris (direct line between Mulhouse and Dijon). This line is not opened yet (first commercial trains on December 2011), just testing runs at ~352 Km/h (Commercial speed of 320 Km/h (~199 mph) with 10 % much speed) to validate that the line have the best security performance. This standard Alstom high speed trainset (named TGV Dasye with asynchronous engines) have a laboratory embedded for checking dynamical comportment of railroad, catenary, pantograph and all other parameters of the trainset with very high speed running condition. This high speed tests will tried during 2 month with ~5 runs at 352 km/h per day. This day the trainset have made a run at 359,2 km/h !
Pictures of French high speed conquest... With all kind of locomotives, trains and infrastructures that participated to improve rail speed and makes the best world records.