World's fastest high-speed train blazes to 453 km/h in pre-service trials

BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The world's fastest bullet train, the CR450, has begun a battery of pre-service trials on a high-speed line in China, clocking a single-train speed of 453 kilometers per hour.

The CR450 series, engineered for a top test speed of 450 km/h and a commercial service speed of 400 km/h, is now undergoing qualification trials on the high-speed rail linking the eastern city of Shanghai and a western inland one of Chengdu, Science and Technology Daily reported on Monday.

The high-speed train can sprint from standstill to 350 km/h in just 4 minutes 40 seconds, and two trains have set a record by passing each other at a combined speed of 896 km/h.

Compared with its predecessor CR400, the CR450 features a longer, sleeker nose, a 20-centimeter lower roofline, and a 50-tonne weight reduction, thereby cutting aerodynamic drag by 22 percent.

The CR400 Fuxing high-speed trains currently in service operate at a speed of 350 km/h.

The CR450 will log 600,000 trouble-free kilometers before it is cleared to carry passengers. ■