China successfully tests world's fastest high speed train with top speed of 281 miles per hour
Published: 22 Oct. 2025, 14:07
![The CR450AF bullet train in Beijing on Dec. 29, 2024 [XINHUA/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/22/6f33508e-fa7a-49c6-b2d0-a75f3cd19846.jpg)
The CR450AF bullet train in Beijing on Dec. 29, 2024 [XINHUA/YONHAP]
China has successfully tested the world’s fastest high-speed train, which reaches a top speed of 453 kilometers (281 miles) per hour. The train is expected to begin commercial operations as early as next year.
The country’s next-generation high-speed train, the CR450 Fuxing, reached its peak speed during a test run on the Shanghai–Chongqing–Chengdu high-speed rail line on Monday, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Tuesday. The CR450 project is led by the China State Railway Group and developed jointly by two subsidiaries of state-owned train manufacturer CRRC.
Among currently operating high-speed trains, the Shanghai Maglev is the fastest, with a top speed of 460 kilometers per hour. Among wheeled trains, the CR400 Fuxing holds the current record at 350 kilometers per hour, followed by France’s TGV and Japan’s Shinkansen at 320 kilometers per hour and then Korea’s KTX-Sancheon at 305 kilometers per hour.
The CR450 features a sleeker design and a more powerful propulsion system than its predecessor. Its aerodynamic nose has been extended from 12.5 meters (492 inches) to 15 meters, while the train’s height has been reduced by 20 centimeters, lowering air resistance by 22 percent.
The CR450 is also 50 tons lighter than its predecessor and accelerates from a standstill to 350 kilometers per hour in 4 minutes and 40 seconds — 100 seconds faster than the CR400. At a cruising speed of 400 kilometers per hour, interior noise levels measure just 68 decibels, similar to a typical passenger car at 70 kilometers per hour.
![Security guards patrol next to the new generation of Fuxing CR450 high-speed EMU as delegates to the World Congress tour the National Railway Test Center in Beijing on July 9. [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/22/f8dedff6-0ba1-4e5e-8707-14bc227cc92f.jpg)
Security guards patrol next to the new generation of Fuxing CR450 high-speed EMU as delegates to the World Congress tour the National Railway Test Center in Beijing on July 9. [AP/YONHAP]
The core improvement lies in the adoption of permanent magnet synchronous motors, which are over 3 percent more energy efficient than the asynchronous motors used in the CR400, significantly reducing energy loss.
The CR450 must complete 600,000 kilometers of test runs to receive certification for passenger transport. The China Academy of Railway Sciences said it plans to conduct near-commercial trial operations on the Chengdu–Chongqing central line next year. If tests go smoothly, the train could begin commercial service within the year.
CCTV described the CR450 as a “symbolic milestone” in China’s transition from “Made in China” to “Created in China.”
Meanwhile, China is accelerating efforts to expand its national transportation network under the 14th Five-Year Plan for 2021 to 2025.
The country’s integrated transport network — encompassing rail, road, air and sea — now stretches more than 6 million kilometers, according to Chinese financial media outlet Cailian Press. Over 80 percent of county-level jurisdictions are connected to the high-speed transport system, covering more than 90 percent of the country’s population and economic output.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY BAE JAE-SUNG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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