Beijing, Dec 22 (Prensa Latina) China announced on Saturday its first 186-mph bullet train, wholly designed and built in this Asian country.
China thus joins Japan, France and Germany as the fourth country worldwide in position to build state-of-the-art high-speed trains, a spokesman for the Railway Ministry said.
A bullet train model known as China Railway High-speed (CHR) has been in operation in China since April 18, but it only reaches a maximum speed of 155 mph, linking Beijing with Harbin, in the country’s northeast, Shanghai, in the center, and Guangzhou, the largest industrial city in the south.
Today, the high-speed model left the production lines of China Southern Locomotive and Rolling Stock Industry Corporation, which plans to give ten such units to the Railway Ministry in the period running from now to March.
According to the firm, the very light, low energy consumer aluminum-alloy train will have eight cars to carry 600 passengers.
It is expected to be operational by the Olympic Games of August 2008, covering its first route –Beijing-Tianjin, 71 miles.
Tourists who want to attend the Olympics football clasifing in Tianjin will be able to get there in just half an hour, thanks to the new train.