China’s new generation bullet train set for launch and speeds up to 350km/h

Bullet train trips between Beijing and Shanghai will get faster from that date when Fuxing bullet trains run at 350 kilometres per hour, bringing passengers in China the world’s fastest commercial trains, China Railway Corp said.
Currently, the trip between the two metropolises, on one of China’s busiest rail lines, takes from four hours and 49 minutes to six hours, the difference arising because of varied numbers of stops being made.
China reduced its bullet trains’ maximum speed to about 300km/h in August 2011 for safety reasons.
The newest generation bullet train, the Fuxing, has been in operation since June 25. On July 27, railway authorities completed testing of the Fuxing, which will allow the restoration of the maximum speed to 350 km/h.
Passengers will have more arm and leg room and free Wi-Fi, with better-placed charging plugs for phones and computers that are located near the armrests instead of below the seats, China Railway Corp said.
In addition, comprehensive and scientific assessments have shown the rail line meets the requirements for bullet trains run at that high speed, and given the ample preparations made, rail authorities and experts have guaranteed that Fuxing trains are capable of the high speed, according to the company.
“Restoring bullet trains’ top speed to 350km/h is a sign of the maturity of China’s high-speed railway technologies,” Liu Xu, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, told Xinhua in a previous interview.
Fuxing trains, the product of Chinese railway standards and technologies, have improved safety, comfort and energy conservation, according to China Railway Corp.
Following their debut on the Beijing-Shanghai line, they will be put into operation in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area on Monday, serving 10 stops in the region, including Tianjin, Baoding and Shijiazhuang, the company previously said.
There, Fuxing trains will run at a maximum of 300km/h.
The longest tunnel - 8,755 metres - on the Harbin-Mudanjiang high-speed railway was expected to be finished on Sunday, marking a major step for the northeastern high-speed rail, China Central Television reported.