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China unveils world's fastest high-speed train
The Chinese government opened a new high-speed railway yesterday that is the fastest in the world. The Wuguang Passenger Railway links Wuhan, the provincial capital of Hubei, with the port of Guangzhou. The train runs an average of 350 kilometers per hour (217mph) and makes the journey in less than three hours. The old train took ten.In test runs the train has made 394 kph (245mph).
As you can see in this video, the train looks like other high-speed trains but improved engineering gives it a superior speed.
The government plans to expand the existing network with 40 more lines and 13,000km (8078 miles) more track. The capital Beijing will get many of the links as it strives to improve connections with regional production centers.
More evidence that this will be China's century? Yep. Perhaps instead of learning Globish we should all be taking Mandarin.
Filed under: Asia, China, Transportation, News
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
The Big Guy Dec 29th 2009 10:33AM
The real problem is that the U.S.A. has moved away from passenger rail service. It is either fly me across the country at 600mph or take a speeding bus. Alot of our rails are in disrepair. The fixes are simple. As a people we need to slow down. Not need everything to be high paced. We can do alot of our work from home, or on a train while commuting. We all rush to a destination and never enjoy the journey. Most times it takes a day or two just to wind down enough to enjoy the destination. More rail service would cut down on green house gasses.....yada yada yada....but it is all true. We don't need the fastest trains in the world, we need the most effecient trains in the world.
Terri Dec 29th 2009 10:38AM
In 2006 I visited China on a tour. Several of us rode the test train from Shanghai to the airport. It was amazing. I have a photo of the sign showing how fast we were traveling. 217 mph. It was only like a 15 minute run, however, it was worth the thrill. You are correct. We do not spend as much time and money on doing something to make the USA first run on things. Spend it and throw it to other places. Sad, but true.
Duke Dec 29th 2009 10:59AM
The United States could use a high speed rail system to take the load off airports. Also there would be plenty of jobs building the railroads, trains, and depots. That $787 billion stimulus package vanished into thin air. All we have left is a huge debt. Sure there were some roads and bridges fixed, but the main problem here is greed. Profits over maintaining the once proud rail and highway system. There are plans to build a highspeed rail system on the east coast from DC to NYC and then Boston. It will not be anything like China has built and plans to build. Expect China to eventually be the largest auto manufacturer country of the world surpassing Japan. China can do as it pleases because of the massive debt the USA owes them, and they are Communist meaning the government is far more controlling than even the Obama government. No I don't want an authortarian government here. Just more tax breaks to spur this economy with strings attached that the savings will not go to profits but to upgrading technology, creating jobs, and beating the Chinese ar their own game.
steve Dec 29th 2009 10:44AM
if china is so rich tell them to pay back owed money on imports
KEN PATERA Dec 29th 2009 11:08AM
JAPAN, FRANCE, SPAIN. GERMANY ,ITALY ,BELGIUM, FINLAND, SWEDEN, THE UNITED KINGDOM, AND RUSSIA ALL HAVE HIGH SPEED TRAINS. ALL OF THEIR TRAINS AND DEPOT'S ARE CLEAN. THE PEOPLE RUNNING THE TRAINS ARE IN CLEANED AND PRESSED UNIFORMS.
WHERE IS THE UNITED STATES ? NO HIGH SPEED TRAINS. THE STATIONS ARE RUN DOWN, AND DANGEROUS. THE TRAINS ARE ALSO DIRTY AND DANGEROUS. AS FOR THE PEOPLE RUNNING THE TRAIN, LET'S JUST SAY THEY ARE NOT THE FRIENDLINESS.
Arron Dec 29th 2009 1:05PM
We are giving everything away! remember how Rome "ruled the world" for a thousand years? It appears that we won't last that long! Between our corrupt government and our new found complacency it won't be long before we are laying on our back sucking for air! It is time we started taking care of ourselves and our own and the hell with supporting other people that really don't give a s--t about us-only our money! Want to balance the budget? How about COLLECTING THE MONEY OWED TO US BY OTHER COUNTRIES FOR SAVING THEIR ASSES WHEN WE "WENT TO WAR" FOR THEM!! We need to literally segragate ourselves for a few years in order to re-establish ourselves and become less dependent on other countries. We need to put a more realistic import quota ON EVERTHING in order to rebuild our economy by rebuilding our industries to provide more jobs HERE IN THE U.S.
Most of all, we must be AMERICANS again! We have turned into a bunch of pussies by letting the rest of the world determine how we will live the rest of our lives. I am a 64 year old non-union vietnam vet that wakes up every morning wishing that someone would grow some ba--s and pass a bill legalizing capital punishment for some of our so called leaders and public servants! That would be a great place to start-CLEAN OUR OWN HOUSE BEFORE WE TRY AND CLEAN SOMEONE ELSES! Lets get rid of these people that vote for anything that lines their pockets and gives them expensive, undeserved LIFETIME BENEFITS -LIKE FREE HEALTH INSURANCE!!
Signed,
Pissed and tired of being pissed!
mike Dec 29th 2009 11:52AM
Just wait until the first crash... these people can't make a childs toy that isn't harmful, bullet trains are also beyond their grasp... besides, these thieves have stolen 95% of their technology from US... or I should say our Democratic suck ups have given it away to "Student Spys"...
bill Dec 29th 2009 12:04PM
world's fastest??? I was on the high speed train in France last year ( Paris to Reims ) that was clocked at 356 mph...I have pictures of the train with that speed painted on the train as the world's fastest !!!
david smith Dec 29th 2009 12:00PM
1000 people died in a coal mine last week ,a comon acurance,like most countrys they have there good points and there bad.
jerry Dec 29th 2009 12:08PM
never wake a sleeping giant let it destroy itself. go china
Tuula Dec 29th 2009 12:08PM
USA is million miles behind on train travel. I am European, we have fast trains in and out of the stations, why not so in the USA...
BIG G Dec 29th 2009 2:50PM
The government needs to be the buyer. No more credits for manufacturing
or building, they are ok when the the economy is ok, or the expense is small.
But when the expense is huge and the economy is bad only the government
has the money. Then they can charge for the use and eventually make money on the project and even eventually sell the whole operation to the public as an
IPO.
The car companies did not build the roads.
The government needs to buy millions of hybrids, windmills, solar energy
farms, electric infrastructure, and high speed trains. And put in anti tort legislation. Then they charge for the use of the equipment and services.
No money lost, no increase of debt and a humming economy.
And, oh yeah, everything the government buys, from big things to little things,
should be made in the US.