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| France unveils super-fast train | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| French engineering giant Alstom is unveiling a new high-speed train. | |
| The AGV (Automotrice Grande Vitesse) train will travel at up to 360km/h (224mph), powered by engines placed under each carriage, the company says. | The AGV (Automotrice Grande Vitesse) train will travel at up to 360km/h (224mph), powered by engines placed under each carriage, the company says. |
| Alstom compares the AGV - successor to the TGV - to the world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380 plane, in terms of importance and innovation. | Alstom compares the AGV - successor to the TGV - to the world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380 plane, in terms of importance and innovation. |
| The unveiling at Alstom's research centre in La Rochelle will be attended by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. | The unveiling at Alstom's research centre in La Rochelle will be attended by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. |
| With an engine under each carriage, the AGV - which translates as "high-speed, self-propelled carriage" - is unlike the TGV, which has engines only at the back and front. | With an engine under each carriage, the AGV - which translates as "high-speed, self-propelled carriage" - is unlike the TGV, which has engines only at the back and front. |
| The TGV's maximum speed currently is 320km/h. | The TGV's maximum speed currently is 320km/h. |
| The AGV's new engines are more energy-efficient and the innovative multiple-unit design allows more passenger space, Alstom says. | The AGV's new engines are more energy-efficient and the innovative multiple-unit design allows more passenger space, Alstom says. |
| It also reduces maintenance costs, the company says. | It also reduces maintenance costs, the company says. |
| The new train achieved a new world rail speed record for a train on conventional rails last April, reaching 574.8km/h (356mph). | The new train achieved a new world rail speed record for a train on conventional rails last April, reaching 574.8km/h (356mph). |
| The Italian operator NTV has already bought 25 of the trains, and will operate them on the Italian high-speed network at a speed of 300km/h in 2011. | The Italian operator NTV has already bought 25 of the trains, and will operate them on the Italian high-speed network at a speed of 300km/h in 2011. |