China plans to connect regions by its 400kph bullet train

IBTimes UK

In 2020, China is targetting to connect regions with its “fastest” 400kph bullet trains.

The world’s largest communist nation is developing a new generation of trains capable of reaching 400 kilometers per hour, China Daily reported.

The said high-speed trains will be part of the so-called “Belt and Road Initiative” to boost and strengthen economic ties with other countries and allies.

As an outcome, Beijing targets economic growth with $500bn rail expansion.

“We will apply new materials in the research and production of the future high-speed trains, such as carbon fiber and aluminum alloy, which will help to reduce weight and enhance energy efficiency,” said Qiao Feng, a senior engineer at the CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles.

CRRC is a subsidiary of China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation.

Feng also added that the brand new trains would be able to reduce energy consumption per passenger by ten percent. They are expected to promote regional connectivity and create new businesses for China and overseas economies.

Meanwhile, China’s National Development and Reform Commission’s transportation researcher Feng Hao said that the high-speed railway will help many densely populated countries change their commuter transportation.

“Because many markets along the Belt and Road Initiative, especially in Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, are planning to build high-speed rail lines or to upgrade their existing systems, they are eager to gain technological support from China to assist in daily operations, maintenance and staff training,” he said.

As of now, China has the world’s largest high-speed rail network with more than 20,000 kilometers and expects to more than double that to 45,000 km by 2030.

According to the Chinese National Railway Administration, the country has passenger train services running at operational speeds of 200 – 250 km/h and has the technology to produce trains with a top speed of 350 km/h.

Also, the country is actively developing high-speed train technology and last year set a new speed record with a train reaching 840 km/h on a test run.

In fact, two trains, known as Golden Phoenix and Dolphin Blue zipped past each other with only 1.6 meters of space between them.

Earlier, Beijing unveiled plans to build the world’s deepest and largest high-speed railway station as part of its preparations for hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics.