357mph? Sacre bleu! Train sets a speed record - but it's not British

But any British commuter looking forward to an era of super-fast travel will be disappointed to learn that it didn't happen here.

The record was set in France (quelle surprise) on a high-speed track between Paris and Strasbourg by a train with a souped-up engine and special wheels.

Shooting through the countryside: The fastest thing on rails

The TGV, or Train a Grande Vitesse, broke the world speed record for a conventional rail train, narrowly missing the overall world train speed record of 360mph held by a Japanese Maglev train, which floats on a magnetic cushion.

In contrast, the fastest speed reached in Britain was 208mph by a Eurostar train on test runs between Ashford and Fawkham Junction in Kent in July 2003.

The train that set the new record yesterday was the sleek V150 TGV - so called because it covers 150 metres per second - with a 25,000 horsepower electric engine and extra-large wheels to cover more track with each rotation.

Sparks flew from the wheels as the black and chrome engine, pulling three doubledecker carriages, hit its top speed as it shot through the Champagne region like a popped cork, heading towards Paris.

The record attempt was part of a test run for the Paris to Strasbourg link expected to open in July, covering the 310 miles in two hours and 20 minutes.

Driver Eric Pieczac said: "We saw the countryside go by a little faster than we did during the tests. Everything went very well."

Manufacturer Alstom wanted to test its latest designs at extreme speeds - and also show off its technology to a growing world market.

A spokesman for Alstom added: "Trains do not need to go this fast in regular service, but proving that they can means they are safer at relatively slower cruising speeds.

"When our trains are travelling at 225mph, they are well within their range which makes them much more reliable."

The record-breaking V150

The French hope that by 2020 the Strasbourg line will be extended to Stuttgart, Nuremburg, Vienna, Bratislava and on to the Hungarian capital Budapest - 1,000 miles away.

French transport minister Dominique Perben said: "This line will be a giant rail corridor through the heart of Europe, linking 34 million citizens and ten major airports."

For more than a quarter of a century-the sleek TGV trains have been the pride of French rail chiefs and the envy of the world.

The network quickly spread outwards from Paris, and a new generation of TGVs now link the capital with major cities in Belgium, Holland and Germany.

Eurostar trains between Paris and London are also versions of the TGV, adapted to operate - more slowly - on British tracks.

Trains on all the TGV routes in France carry up to 500 passengers in comfort in eight double-decker carriages. First and second class passengers have power points, electric seats, sun-blinds on the windows and a buffet car.

Click image to enlarge

In first class, where the carriages are only three seats wide, there is waiter service.

Alstoms say the trains are able to travel so fast thanks to rail lines built without sharp curves, and incab signalling, meaning drivers do not need to view lineside signals at hgh speed.

All of which helped a TGV set the endurance record for the longest non-stop journey when a Eurostar train whisked the cast of The Da Vinci Code film 883 miles from London to Cannes in seven hours and 25 minutes last May.