CHINA’S LOVE affair with high-speed trains shows no sign of waning despite a crash in July which undermined confidence.
The country’s largest trainmaker has just unveiled a super high-speed test model capable of travelling at 500km/h.
The six-car locomotive is built by China’s biggest trainmaker, CSR, and is faster than the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed train, which holds the world speed record of 300km/h, the Xinhua news agency reported.
The model was inspired by an ancient Chinese sword, say its designers and the bodywork comprises plastic materials reinforced with carbon fibre.
This year has not been an especially good year for high-speed rail which reached a low point when a crash in July left at least 40 people dead. Production of high-speed models in China is at a near standstill and existing trains have been subject to extensive safety checks.
Chairman of CSR Zhao Xiaogang said the super high-speed prototype would not necessarily run at 500 km/h and that the focus was always safety.
As economic growth slows and central government comes under pressure to reduce public spending, the appetite for big-ticket projects is in decline.
The rail ministry said it is to cut spending next year, but it still plans to invest 500 billion yuan (€60.6 billion) on fixed assets. This money will be used to finish key projects and lay some 6,400km (4,000 miles) of line in 2012.