Train types

Gas turbine trains

11 models from 9 manufacturers

Models

Manufacturers

Top speed

260 km/h

TGV 001

Power output

8,300 kW

GT1h

Gas turbine trains use a turbine, often derived from aviation, to drive a generator or a mechanical transmission. Turbines offer a high power-to-weight ratio but consume a lot of fuel, especially at partial load.

Union Pacific's gas turbine-electric locomotives of the 1950s and 1960s were among the most powerful locomotives ever built, and French turbotrains ran fast passenger services in the 1970s. The prototype TGV 001, powered by gas turbines, reached 318 km/h in 1972. Rising oil prices after 1973 ended most of these programmes.