What is the speed of Class 374?

Okay, so you wanna know how fast those Class 374 trains can go, huh? Well, buckle up, because these things are QUICK!

Officially, the British Rail Class 374 electric multiple unit – fancy name, right? – can hit a top speed of 320 km/h (200 mph). Wowza! I mean, can you imagine cruising along at that speed? It’s faster than most cars on the Autobahn, and probably faster than I’ve ever driven, period!

How do they manage that, you ask? Well, it’s all about the tech, innit? They’ve got this Siemens IGBT-VVVF traction system – honestly, I have NO idea what all that means, but it sounds seriously impressive – and a whole bunch (32 to be exact!) of 500 kW (that’s like 670 horsepower each!) 3-phase AC induction motors. All that fancy stuff adds up to a total power output of 16 MW. Seriously, what does that even mean!? Oh, it means it can travel at 21,000 hp. I think it’s the same like 21,000 horses were pulling you!

I saw one of these things once, zipping past in France. Just a blur! You could almost feel the power humming off it. It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? All that engineering and effort just to get people from A to B… and quickly. Pretty cool, when you think about it.