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China to relaunch the world’s fastest bullet trains

BEIJING — China is relaunching the world’s fastest bullet trains, running at 350kmh.

A file photo shows railway workers posing for photos with the Fuxing, China's latest high speed train capable of reaching 400kmh during its maiden service from Beijing. China is relaunching the world's fastest bullet trains in September 2017. Photo: Chinatopix via AP

A file photo shows railway workers posing for photos with the Fuxing, China's latest high speed train capable of reaching 400kmh during its maiden service from Beijing. China is relaunching the world's fastest bullet trains in September 2017. Photo: Chinatopix via AP

BEIJING — China is relaunching the world’s fastest bullet trains, running at 350kmh.

The trains will service the route from Beijing to Shanghai starting in September, making the 1,250km journey in just four hours and 30 minutes. Other routes are being added.

The South China Morning Post cited the Thepaper.cn, a government-controlled news website, as saying on Sunday (Aug 20) that seven pairs of bullet trains, named Fuxing, which means “rejuvenation”, will soon start operating.

The Beijing-Shanghai route is one of the most used lines, with around 600 million passengers using the service a year since it opened in 2011, according to China Railway, the state-owned operator.

The line is also one of the most profitable in China, reported the South China Morning Post. China Railway has not released financial data for specific lines, but a bond issuance prospectus last year said the corporate entity running the line made a profit of 6.6 billion yuan (S$1.34 billion) in 2015.

China first ran trains at 350kmh in August 2008, but cut speeds back to 250kmh to 300kmh in 2011 following a two-train collision near the city of Wenzhou that killed 40 people and injured 191.

China has laid more than 20,000km of high-speed rail, with a target of adding another 10,000km by 2020.

China has spent an estimated US$360 billion (S$490.71 billion) on high-speed rail, building by far the largest network in the world. AGENCIES

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