China to Relaunch New Bullet Trains that Will Run at 350km/h
With top speeds of 400 km/h, China’s new generation bullet trains will make for swift 4.5-hour commutes between Beijing and Shanghai.
Nur Sofia When she isn’t plotting her next solo trip, Sofia daydreams about Santorini sunsets, Cape Town coasts and Barcelona’s breath-taking beaches. Born and bred in Singapore, she honestly feels like her heart belongs to the world. There is a high chance though, that you might find her where delectable desserts (read: nutella cupcakes) are. Besides having an extremely sweet tooth, she also enjoys predicting the next blindside on Survivor.
“Fuxing”, the literal translation of “rejuvenation” in Mandarin, is the name for China’s new generation bullet trains. After the tragic Wenzhou train collision in 2011, 40 fatalities were recorded and rail systems had to undergo very thorough safety reviews. Expected to relaunch on 21 Sep 2017, these impressive new trains will set China’s high speed rail network right back on track. Boasting rapid speeds, these cutting-edge trains will run consistently at 350km/h. Upon full throttle, they can reach top speeds of a whopping 400km/h.
The world’s fastest train service cuts the travel time from Beijing to Shanghai by one hour. This means that the commute for the 1,138km journey will take only 4.5 hours. For this route, seven round-trips will operate on a daily basis. Aside from the popular direct Beijing–Shanghai path, the bullet trains will also ply the areas around Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei.
China aims to add 10,000 kilometres to its existing network – which currently spans more than 20,000 kilometres of high-speed rail – by 2020. To date, China is home to the largest train network in the world, with total construction expenditures reaching US$360 billion.