China lifts bullet train speed limit
BEIJING: The maximum speed of trains running on China’s high-speed rail line between Beijing and Shanghai was yesterday restored to 350 kilometers per hour, local media reported.
Following a deadly accident in July 2011, the authorities ordered that operating speeds be lowered to 300 kph due to safety concerns.
With improved safety measures in place, the green light was given for the speed hike on the latest-generation “Fuxing” trains that went into operation in June on the Beijing-Shanghai route.
The higher top speed means travel time will be cut by around 20 minutes to four and a half hours.
The connection between the two metropolises is one of the country’s busiest, carrying more than 100 million passengers a year.
Some commentators have noted that the move, coming just ahead of the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s October party congress, may be aimed at touting the country’s technological prowess and boosting national prestige.
A train that departed Beijing station at 7 a.m. smoothly accelerated until “350 km/h” was displayed on an in-carriage speedometer.
By comparison, trains in Japan running on the Tohoku Shinkansen are currently the fastest in the country, clocking speeds of 320 kph.
On July 23, 2011, one high-speed train crashed into another near the eastern coastal city of Wenzhou, killing 40 people and injuring 190 others.
The authorities blamed the accident on a signal flaw.