Imagine flying, or almost, but using rails instead of wings. This is a bit of the feeling that the new fast train developed in China gives, a real "magnetic lightning on rails" which in tests reached 453 km/h, setting a new world record. What are the characteristics that can make it a new standard for transport?
Conquering the tracks
High-speed rail transport is a highly efficient mode of transport for moving people and goods between different destinations. The countries of the world (some more, some guiltily less) are trying to reduce their emissions. A fast, electrified and energy-efficient train can offer environmentally friendly alternatives to air travel. With the further, not negligible, advantage of significantly reducing travel times.
For this the China Railway 450 Technology Innovation Project just launched in the land of red lanterns is very interesting. This fast train can massively and relatively quickly boost the speed of the entire railway network and not just a few sections. Why? It has the speed comparable to that of a Maglev, but can leverage existing infrastructure. And this is quite a difference.
Fast train, who contends for the palm?
The Chinese Academy of Railway Sciences recently announced that the CR450 project is progressing rapidly. Another test of the fast train, which has just been successfully conducted along a section of the network from Fuqing to Quanzhou, has set a new world speed record on standard tracks.
At this rate, who knows, it may be a matter of time before China also breaks the track speed record set by the Shanghai magnetic train, which can hit 500 km/h.
As mentioned, no one currently manages to beat the record of the Chinese CR450, which reached the extraordinary speed of 453 km/h, outclassing all other high-speed trains currently in operation in the world. On the international front, however, progress can all be seen. The famous Japanese train Shinkansen, for example, known as the "bullet train", travels at 320 km/h, while the Italian Frecciarossa nearly 400 km/h.
In other words, the fast train will probably replace internal flights, an epochal turning point for the transport sector: the future travels on rails.
