Targets set for completion of trains traveling at 450 km/h

China has set targets for the completion of the CR450 EMU prototype bullet train designed with a top speed of 450 kilometers per hour, and has already carried out testing this year in preparation for the train's debut in 2025, according to China State Railway Group.

Last year, bullet trains traveled at the speed of 453 km/h on test runs in Fujian province, collecting data for trains running under different speeds and at various areas along the railway such as in tunnels, on bridges and around curves.

This year, efforts will be made to promote technological breakthroughs in building more advanced high-speed railways, improving the intelligent development of the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway.

Scientists and engineers will also strive to make technological breakthroughs to improve operation safety, enhancing key equipment and infrastructure, according to the company.

China released the plan to develop faster bullet trains in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25).

Currently, the fastest bullet trains in China operate at 350 km/h along several lines, including the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway, the Beijing-Tianjin High-Speed Railway, the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-Speed Railway and the Chengdu-Chongqing High-Speed Railway.

In 2022, general provisional technical specifications for the CR450 EMU were released by China State Railway Group.

Technical specifications for 13 of the EMU's subsystems were drawn up, and early experiments were also carried out, according to the China Academy of Railway Sciences.

China has also been improving its railway infrastructure as it works on developing faster trains. Some new high-speed railway lines have been built under higher standards that will allow more technologically advanced trains to operate at higher speeds in the future.

China's railway system, especially the high-speed railway network, has seen rapid development over the past 15 years.

By the end of last year, China's high-speed railway network had been extended to 45,000 km, with the nation's overall railway system reaching 159,000 km.