China to attempt new world speed record

China will attempt to break the world rail speed record currently held by France. The attempt will be made using an experimental train being built by CSR.

The current world record of 574.8km/h was set by the V150 test train on TGV Est on April 4 2007, smashing the previous record of 515.3km/h, which was also achieved in France 17 years earlier. If successful, China will become the first Asian country to hold the title since Japan lost the record to France in 1981.

CNR’s latest high-speed train CRH380B (pictured) has a design speed of 400km/h, an operating speed of 350km/h, and a maximum output of 18.4MW with half the cars powered. The train has improved aerodynamics by enclosing the inter-car bellows with rubber sections and enclosing the bogies more than on CRH3.

CRH380B has a new interior design and four classes: sightseeing, grand, first and second, plus a dining car. Each train seats 1026 passengers.

The first 11 production trains were due to roll out of CNR’s Tangshan plant by the end of 2010. CNR is supplying a fleet of 70 16-car trains.

China’s plan to break the world rail speed record is another step in its strategy to demonstrate that it is now able to make its own technical advances, while China’s two manufacturing giants, CNR and CSR, are ready to unleash their new-found technology and products on the world.

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