China unveils high-speed train capable of travelling at 600kph

Train would be the fastest in the world

(CRRC)

A new high-speed train capable of travelling up to 600kph has been unveiled in China, according to state media.

The maximum speed would make the train, which uses “maglev” technology, the fastest ground vehicle in the world.

Maglev technology uses electro-magnetic force to lift the train above the rails, so there is no contact between the carriage and the track.

China already uses the Maglev technology on a short line between Shanghai Pudong International Airport and the city centre, where the 30 km journey takes just over seven minutes, but it has yet to be rolled out nationwide.

In 2019, engineering firm CCRC Qingdao, which manufactures the train on China’s east coast, said the prototype had rolled off the production line following three years of research, adding that the train aimed to close the “speed gap” between high-speed rail and flying.

The new high-speed train, travelling at its maximum speed of 600kph, would cut travel time between Beijing and Shanghai to just 2.5 hours.

The two megacities are 1,000km apart and a plane journey between the two takes three hours, while a high-speed train currently takes 5.5 hours.

Additional reporting by agencies