China has presented the prototypes of the CR450 bullet train, with a test speed of up to 450 kilometers per hour and an operational speed of 400 kilometers per hour.
The CR450 is significantly faster than the CR400 Fuxing high-speed trains currently in service, which operate at speeds of 350 kilometers per hour, becoming the world’s fastest in their class.
China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (China Railway) will organize a series of line tests for the prototypes and optimize technical indicators to ensure that the CR450 enters commercial service as soon as possible, Xinhua reports.
Compared with its predecessors, the CR450’s overall operating endurance will be reduced by 22 percent and its weight will be reduced by 10 percent, according to China Railway.
The new prototypes are two CR450 models: the CR450AF and the CR450BF, both with a formation of eight cars, four with engines and four without engines, according to CRRC Corporation Limited (CRRC), China’s main train manufacturer.
The high-speed trains are characterized by an advanced water-cooled, permanent magnet traction system and a reliable, high-stability bogie system, which ensures excellent performance and safety during all operations.
The trains are equipped with an advanced multi-level emergency braking system and more than 4,000 sensors for real-time monitoring of key systems, including the bodywork, high-voltage pantograph, train control and collision detection systems. fires. According to the CRRC, an over-the-horizon system has also been used to improve recognition of emergency situations.
The CR450 features a new bogie cabinet design to minimize air resistance at high speeds, along with a sharp-nosed, low-drag aerodynamic front end, aerodynamic windscreens and lightweight materials.
It integrates advanced noise reduction techniques in different areas and frequencies, reducing interior noise by 2 decibels and increasing passenger service space by 4 percent compared to its predecessors.
Since launching the Beijing-Tianjin intercity railway in 2008 with designed speeds of 350 kilometers per hour, China has built the most extensive and advanced high-speed railway network in the world.
To date, the total length of China’s operational high-speed railway tracks has reached about 47,000 kilometers, data from the National Railway Administration shows.