New high speed train will start running on Beijing to Shanghai track in 2011.
The world's fastest high speed train has just been unveiled in Changchun, the capital of the northeastern province of Jilin in China. While there are maglev trains that travel at higher top speeds, Chinese officials say the average operating speeds of the new "380A" will make it the fastest train in the world.
The "380A", also called He Xie, will cruise at 380 kilometers per hour (236 mph), a full 30km/hr faster than the next fastest train in China (which is currently running on three Chinese lines). The train's name comes from its top-end traveling speed, but could also be considered a play on the Airbus A380, the troubled double-decker passenger plane that has had some difficulty getting off the ground (metaphorically, not literally).
China's Ministry of Railways signed a contract to purchase 100 of these new high speed trains from Changchun Railway Vehicles Co, a division of China CNR Corp., in March.
The 380A trains will be the first trains to run on the new Beijing-Shanghai high speed track and will be able to make the trip in less than four hours, a trip that took 19 hours as recently as 10 years ago.
Photo Credit: Xinhua




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