Z
Zhang He
Guest
300mph Chinese train breaks record
A Chinese passenger train hit a record speed of 302 miles per hour on Friday during a test run of a recently completed high speed link between Beijing and Shanghai.
The Chinese passenger train hit a record speed of 302 miles per hour (486 kilometers per hour) Friday during a test run Photo: EPA
The Chinese passenger train hit a record speed of 302 miles per hour (486 kilometers per hour) Friday during a test run Photo: EPA
5:10PM GMT 03 Dec 2010
It was the fastest speed recorded by an unmodified conventional commercial train. Other types of trains in other countries have travelled faster.
State television footage showed the sleek white train whipping past green farm fields in eastern China. The 824-mile-long line is set to open next year, 12 months ahead of schedule. It will cut journey times between Beijing and Shanghai from the current 10 hours to under five hours. The line is expected to carry 80 million passengers a year.
The project costs £21 billion and is part of a government effort to link many of China's cities by high-speed rail and reduce overcrowding on heavily used lines. China already has the world's longest high-speed rail network, and it plans to cover 8,125 miles by 2012 and 10,000 miles by 2020.
The drive to develop high-speed rail technology rivals China's space programme in terms of national pride and importance. Railway officials say they want to reach speeds of over 500kph (312mph). A specially modified French TGV train reached 357.2mph during a 2007 test, while a Japanese magnetically levitated train sped to 361mph in 2003.
