China unveils prototype of world's fastest and most advanced locomotive: 'Travel between major cities ... in just 1-3 hours'
According to China Daily, the country plans to add 1,600 miles of new rail lines in 2025 and 7,000 miles of high-speed track by 2030. This comes on top of the 100,000 miles of rail lines and 30,000 miles of high-speed tracks that have already been built in the country.
China has one of the best and most extensive rail systems in the world, and its high-speed system is already the envy of virtually everyone. The star of the show has been the CR400 locomotive, but that could soon be a thing of the past as well.
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According to CNN, China unveiled the prototype for the CR450, so-named because its max speed is 450 kilometers per hour (279 mph). The CR450 will operate commercially at 400 kilometers per hour (249 mph), making it the fastest train in the world.
Both the new track and train will aid China's goal of making "travel between major cities possible in just 1-3 hours" while also supporting rapid cargo transit around the country.
High-speed rail is one of the most effective tools for reducing our carbon footprint and reliance on air travel. We've seen it growing as France and Germany unveiled a new train between Paris and Berlin that reduces travel time to just 9 to 10 hours with a stop, while plans have been unveiled for another line between Barcelona in Spain and Toulouse in France.
A study of high-speed rail in Morocco shows that it can also ignite an increase in driving a massive boost in the economy. While it has yet to really gain a proper foothold in the United States, that is slowly changing, as projects in Texas, California, and even Las Vegas to Los Angeles are underway.
But, as the most recent announcements show, the rest of the world still has some catching up to do if they hope to match China's progress on this front.
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