China to relaunch world’s fastest bullet trains

In this June 26, 2017 file photo, railway workers pose for photos with the Fuxing, China’s latest high speed train capable of reaching 400kph (248mph) during its maiden service from Beijing. China is relaunching the world’s fastest bullet trains in September 2017, running at 350 kilometers (217 miles) per hour. China first ran trains at 350 kilometers per hour in August 2008, but cut speeds back to 250-300 kilometer per hour in 2011 following a two-train collision near the city of Wenzhou that killed 40 people and injured 191. (Chinatopix Via AP, File)

BEIJING—China is relaunching the world’s fastest bullet trains, running at 350 kilometers (217 miles) per hour.

The trains will service the route from Beijing to Shanghai starting next month, making the 1,250-kilometer (777-mile) journey in just 4 hours, 30 minutes. Other routes are being added.

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

China has laid more than 20,000 kilometers (12,400 miles) of high-speed rail, with a target of adding another 10,000 kilometers (6,214 miles) by 2020.

China has spent an estimated $360 billion on high-speed rail, building by far the largest network in the world. JPV