Beijing to Shanghai in 5 Hours? New Train Hits 300 MPH

By Alex Emerson | 12/08/10 - 13:41

China's newest record-breaking high-speed train hit a record 312 miles-per-hour in a test run last week, breaking the previous speed record for an unmodified train.

The new train will be in operation from 2012, and initially will run between Beijing and Shanghai, effectively halving the original journey time of 10 hours.

The new high-speed track will add to existing high-speed infrastructure. China already has the world's longest high-speed rail network, and it plans to cover 8,125 miles (13,000 kilometers) by 2012 and 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) by 2020. China will have 42 high-speed routes, while the US plans to have two.

The CRH380A train was revealed in Beijing at the China National Convention Center, and has already received interest from other countries keen to impart similar high-speed rail infrastructure.

After attending a briefing by China South Locomotive, an Iranian government official said Iran is considering buying the Chinese high-speed train.

"We definitely want to import it," an Israeli railways executive also said.