China is home to the fastest bullet train in the world. Good news is, it will resume it’s operation this year. China, the most populated country in the world, relies significantly on its high-speed railway network. The country is launching seven pairs of bullet trains under a project named Fuxing that translates to ‘rejuvenation.’
China put an end to increasing speed limits of trains in 2011, after two high-speed trains collided into each other on a viaduct while traveling on the Yongtaiwen railway line. The unfortunate incident threw four cars off of the viaduct, resulting in the death of at least 40 people and injuring another 192. The trains traveled at maximum speeds of 350 km/h, and the crash was caused due to faulting signals. Many people asked to put a stop to the fast paced bullet trains, and one of them was Zhao Xu, a researcher at China’s Center for Public-Private Partnerships.
Zhao had commented,
“If there is a design flaw, it means the case is not isolated and might affect all the high-speed lines. The trains should be stopped until the investigation discovers what went wrong.”
The maximum speeds of the bullet trains were eventually brought down to as low as 250-300 km/h (155-186 mph).
The Fuxing project is bridging the long gaps and cutting commute times by huge margins. The plans include a new route between Beijing and Shanghai that reduces travel time by an hour. The train will run along the route that happens to be one of the world’s most used transportation lines; it has been used by more than 600 million passengers since 2011. The most profitable line in China brings the country a profit of 6.6 billion yuan (~$1 billion). Harmony CRH 308A, the train running along the lines, was developed by teams of researchers from multiple Chinese universities.
Associated Press reports,
“China has laid more than 20,000 kilometers (12,400 miles) of high-speed rail, with a target of adding another 10,000 kilometers (6,214 miles) by 2020,” the press writes. “China has spent an estimated $360 billion on high-speed rail, building by far the largest network in the world.”
When the famous high-speed bullet trains in China met the unfortunate accident, they were replaced by Italy’s AGV Italo. These trains are considered to be one of the most modern trains in Europe, and their top speeds reach up to 225 mph (363 km/h).
China is all prepared to relaunch its bullet trains after September 21. Various successful tests have been conducted on many portions of the line. Authorities believe that not only will the trains be able to begin operating at said speeds, they will also be able to raise the speeds to 400 km/h. We have been expecting these speeds from the Hyperloop One project, but it appears that China will be reaching that speed first.
China never disappoints us!
