Iris 320 is a modified TGV

TGV

The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....

 train operated by SNCF

SNCF

The SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...

 International as a dedicated track recording train

Track geometry car

A track geometry car is an automated track inspection vehicle on a rail transport system used to test several geometric parameters of the track without obstructing normal railroad operations. Some of the parameters generally measured include position, curvature, alignment of the track, smoothness,...

 for high-speed rail

High-speed rail

High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...

ways. The train can run at 320 kilometres-per-hour and consists of two power car

Power car

A power car is a railroad vehicle that is closely related to the locomotive. What differentiates the two is their construction or their use. A true locomotive can be physically separated from its train and does nothing but provide propulsion . A power car, on the other hand, is frequently an...

s and eight trailers coaches providing 160 metres of laboratory space. It was converted from former SNCF TGV Réseau

SNCF TGV Réseau

The SNCF TGV Réseau trains were built by Alstom between 1992 and 1996. These TGV trainsets are based on the earlier TGV Atlantique.The first Réseau sets entered service in 1993. Fifty dual-voltage trainsets were built in 1992-1994, numbered 501-550. A further 40 triple-voltage trainsets, numbered...

 passenger train number 4530.

The train primarily monitors the whole of the French high-speed LGV network every 15 days. In addition it surveys other main lines in France operating at above 160 km/h and the HSL 1

HSL 1

The HSL 1 is a Belgian high speed rail line which connects Brussels with LGV Nord at the border with France. It is long with 71 km of dedicated high-speed tracks and 17 km of modernised lines. Service began on 14 December 1997....

 high-speed line in Belgium for Infrabel

Infrabel

Infrabel is a Belgian government-owned public limited company. It was created on 1 January 2005 from the split of the once unitary SNCB/NMBS. It builds, maintains and upgrades the Belgian railway network, makes its capacity available to railway companies, and handles the train traffic control. ...

.

Once every two months, Iris 320 takes a survey of the Channel Tunnel

Channel Tunnel

The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...

 for Eurotunnel

Eurotunnel

Groupe Eurotunnel S.A. manages and operates the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France. The Company operates the car shuttle services and earns revenue on other trains passing through the tunnel...

 (since December 2010) and of High Speed 1 for Network Rail (CTRL) in the United Kingdom (since 4/5 May 2011). The cross-channel trips are diesel-hauled by Eurotunnel Class 0001

Eurotunnel Class 0001

The Eurotunnel Class 0001 Bo-Bo diesel locomotives were built by Maschinenbau Kiel between 1991 and 1992. They are very similar to the NS 6400 Class....

locomotives and undertaken at 100 km/h.