Rudi - only a very slight correction: TGV stands for "Tres Grande Vitesse" and translates to "Very High Speed."

If I remember correctly from my days in the US Air Force in Europe, the German Deutsches Bundesbahn has their Inter-City Express running between major cities. The railroads of other European companies also have express trains but none run as fast (or on dedicated tracks) like the TGV.

In Japan, the bullet trains are known as Shinkansen.