World’s Fastest Bullet Train That Goes 250 MPH Now Running in China

August 21, 2017

China’s Fuxing, dubbed as the world’s fastest commercial bullet train, started operations in the

According to manufacturer China Railway Corporation, the next-generation trains run at 350 kilometers per hour (217 mph), with top speeds hitting the 400-kilometer (249-mile) mark.

Fuxing means “rejuvenation”, according to South China Morning Post, putting the trains, which were tested in July, in line with President Xi Jinping’s slogan of national rejuvenation.

The trains, running on the Beijing-Shanghai line from September 21, are expected to cut travel time between the cities — a distance of 1,318 kilometers (819 miles) — from six to just 4.5 hours, making seven round trips a day.

The route between Beijing and Shanghai is reportedly among the most used high-speed railways, with some 600 million commuters riding since 2011.

It was also noted to be the most profitable, reportedly earning 6.6 billion yuan (about $1 billion) in profits in 2015.

As per People’s Daily, China began running trains at 350 km/h in August 2008. At least three more lines of similar speeds were launched subsequently, until the government required slowdowns between 250 and 300 km/h (155 and 186 mph) following a deadly accident in Zhejiang Province in 2011.

At 22,000 kilometers (13,670 miles), China owns the world’s longest high-speed rail network, roughly 60% of the global total. The government aims to further the distance at 30,000 kilometers (18,641 miles) by 2020.

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