World’s fastest bullet train

  World’s fastest bullet train by China, touches 281 mph in pre-service trials           

China's CR450 has set the new record as world's fastest bullet train. This achievement surpasses the previous record of 350 km/h (217 mph) held by the CR400 Fuxing trains. The bullet train is set to enter commercial operations in 2026. China has begun pre-service trials for CR450, hailed as the world’s fastest bullet. The train clocked a speed of 281 mph (450 km/h) in the trials on the Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu high-speed railway line, as revealed on 21 Oct 25. The CR450’s prototype was unveiled in November last year as a bullet train capable of hitting the 249 mph mark (400 km/h), and subjected to continuous testing across all metrics. Now in its final testing stage, the bullet train has to achieve 373,000 miles (600,000 km's) of operation before being cleared for commercial services. Given its latest attempt, the CR450 has surpassed the current fastest speed record of 217 mph (350 km/hr) achieved by CR400 Fuxing trains.

Other high-speed trains like France’s TGV and Japan’s Shinkansen follow with maximum speeds of 320 km/h, while Korea’s KTX-Sancheon reaches 305 km/h, according to Chosun Biz. Unveiled in November 2024, the CR450 has undergone extensive testing to meet all performance targets. It is now set to undergo 600,000 km's of operation before it can be cleared for commercial passenger service, according to CGTN. Started as a project in 2021 by China State Railway Group, the train is expected to enter commercial operations in 2026, post the evaluation phase. It is manufactured by subsidiaries of the state-owned China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC). The CR450 is equipped with structural enhancements. Its nose cone has been increased from 41 feet (12.5 meters), as on the existing 217 mph trains, to 49 feet (15 meters), reducing drag.

CR450’s height has also been reduced by 8 inches (20 cm), with weight being trimmed by 55 tons. The developers have focused on drag reduction as a top priority, which has also helped achieve dramatic acceleration. The train has fully enclosed bogies and lower skirt panels beneath carriages, and a design philosophy inspired by high-performance cars. These innovations have helped the train reduce its overall resistance by 22 %. The CR450 can accelerate from 0 to 350 km/h in 4 minutes and 40 seconds. This is 100 seconds faster than the existing Fuxing EMUs, which take 6 minutes and 20 seconds to reach the same speed. Over five years of research and testing, improvements have been measured in minute increments as small as 0.1%. An EMU is a train made of self-propelled, electric-powered carriages which don’t require a separate locomotive.

China’s national television broadcaster CCTV also revealed how the country views this development as a major step towards modern innovation. During trials, two CR450 trains also set a combined speed record of 896 km/h when they passed each other, as reported by Xinhua. “The recent test run is the final step for the CR450 to enter the commercial operation phase and will be a milestone symbolizing that the technological prowess of China’s high-speed rail is leaping from ‘Made in China’ to ‘Created in China’,” said CCTV. China’s CR450 project is part of a sweeping initiative to expand and modernize the nation’s world-leading transport network.

The CR450’s speed is largely due to aerodynamic and structural enhancements over the CR400. The new model features a longer, sleeker nose, a 20-cm lower roofline, and a 50-tonne weight reduction. The country now operates the largest high-speed rail and expressway systems globally, forming an integrated grid that stretches over six million km's. Modern transport corridors link over 80% of China’s county-level regions, encompassing over 90 % of its economy and population. The scale of this network was on full display during the recent National Day holiday, when 2.4 billion interregional trips were recorded. Railways alone carried 213 million passengers, averaging 18 million train travellers daily. Launched in 2021 by China State Railway Group, the CR450 is expected to enter commercial operation in 2026 following its evaluation phase.