SINGAPORE: China has unveiled a prototype of its next-generation commercial bullet train with test speeds of 450kmh, overtaking current Chinese high-speed trains, which are already among the fastest in the world.
In a statement shared on its official WeChat account on Sunday (Dec 29), the China State Railway Group introduced the CR450 high-speed train, with a maximum commercial operating speed of 400kmh.
“The official debut of the world’s fastest high-speed train marks a major breakthrough in the CR450 project which began in 2018,” and will “further consolidate and expand” China’s global high-speed railway ambitions, China Railway said.
China already has some of the fastest commercial high-speed trains in the world.
The Shanghai maglev, which connects Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport to downtown Shanghai, operates at a top speed of 430kmh, making it the world’s fastest commercial train service.
Other high-speed Chinese rails that connect major cities such as CR Fuxing bullet trains and CR Harmony trains reach a top operating speed of 350kmh.
In contrast, Japan’s famed Shinkansen bullet trains travel at up to 320kmh while European high-speed rails like ICE 3 trains in Germany have maximum speeds of 350kmh, similar to their Chinese counterparts.
Chinese state media outlets have praised China Railway’s latest prototype as “ushering in a new era” of high-speed rail.
“This achievement makes it the fastest high-speed train in the world once it enters commercial service, surpassing China’s current CR400 which operates at 350kmh,” said the state-run China Daily website.
The project involved more than 200 days of high-speed testing and 17 component trials with a cumulative test distance that exceeded 200,000km, the China Daily report said.
It also added that the prototype had undergone more than 3,000 simulations and 2,000 platform tests to meet the rigorous demands of its operating speed.
