Fastest Bullet Train in the World in Track Trials Now in China – CleanTechnica

---

Support CleanTechnica’s work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe.

---

China continues to lead the world forward in cleantech. We are not in the 1990s anymore, Toto. China is launching the biggest and the best in tech week after week. This week, news from the country is that it is trialling the fastest bullet train in the world. (Thanks to reader “Myth Dispulsion” for sharing the news.)

“The CR450, touted as the world’s fastest electric multiple unit (EMU), is currently undergoing operational evaluation on the Shanghai–Chongqing–Chengdu high-speed rail line,” China News writes. “The CR450 has been subjected to continuous, rigorous testing since the prototype rolled out late last year. After successfully meeting all performance metrics, including reaching a top speed of 450 kilometers per hour, the testing phase must now accumulate 600,000 kilometers of successful operation before the train is cleared for commercial passenger service.”

450 km/h is 280 mph for those of us who speak ‘Murican. That’s fast….

China, Japan, and Europe have been using the fastest trains in the world in the past few decades or so. How does this model step it up? Reportedly, through better aerodynamics and structural enhancements. “The nose cone of the train has been lengthened from the 12.5 meters seen on existing 350 km/h trains to a more streamlined 15 meters, resulting in reduced drag.

“Furthermore, the train’s overall resistance has been cut by 22 percent due to several design innovations. These include fully enclosing the bogies and lowering the skirt panels beneath the carriages, minimizing the exposure of the wheels to the air, a design philosophy akin to high-performance race cars. The train’s height has also been reduced by 20 centimeters, and its weight has been trimmed by 50 tonnes.”

Well done.

Naturally, 450 km/h is just the bullet train’s top speed. But how about the train’s quickness, or acceleration? News is that it takes 4 minutes and 40 seconds to get from 0 km/h to 350 km/h.

When will the USA get bullet trains this fast? Oh, well, can you probably hear the roaring laughter coming from the production room at CleanTechnica headquarters right now.