This article provides an overview of speed records in rail transport. It is divided into absolute records for rail vehicles and fastest connections in the timetable.
The world record for a conventional wheeled passenger train is held by a modified French TGV high-speed (with standard equipment) code named V150, set in 2007 when it reached on a section of LGV Est line, part of the Trans-European high-speed rail network. Japan's experimental maglev train L0 Series achieved on a magnetic levitation track in 2015.
Under commercial traffic and practical conditions where trains carry passengers across from one station to another, the world records for top operating speeds of maglev and single-phase trains are held respectively by China's Shanghai Maglev Train with a top speed of and CR400 Fuxing Hao at . They are followed by France's TGV Duplex, Japan's E5 Series Shinkansen and the German ICE 3 (when operating in France) which all have maximum operating speeds of for commercial services.
Legend:
The following is a partial list of absolute world speed records for all trains designed to carry passengers, regardless of gauge, propulsion or type of rail.
The following is a list of verified absolute world speed records for conventional wheeled rail vehicles.
The following is a list of speed records for rail vehicles with electric traction motors and powered by electricity transferred to the train.
The following is a list of speed records for rail vehicles with on-board fuel to generate electricity for traction motors such as diesel-electric locomotive, diesel electric multiple unit and gas turbine-electric locomotive trains.
The following is a list of speed records for rail vehicles with on-board fuel to mechanical energy to drive vehicle's wheels such as diesel-hydraulic trains and gas turbine locomotive trains that use mechanical transmission to power the drive wheels.
The following is a list of speed records for steam locomotives.
Note: All records with a faster speed than (the record set by Mallard) are claimed and have not been officially verified (compare rival claims section).
Note:
The following is a list of speed records for rail vehicles that use air propulsion to move rail vehicles while the wheels are rolling along the track.
Using an air cushion and a monorail, the Aérotrain set on 5 March 1974 a mean speed of and a peak speed of .
The European speed record on meter gauge was achieved in the night from 8th to 9th July 2022. A Rhaetian Railway class ABe 4/16 train made by Stadler Rail reached 163 kph during testing in the Vereina tunnel.
The following are the lists of world record average operating speeds between two stations. The average speeds are measured by the total time and the distance between the two stations.