World's Fastest Train Now in China

China went a step ahead of the other Asian and European countries by unveiling the world's fastest long distance passenger train. Called the Harmony Express, it reached a top speed of 394 kms per hour (246 mph), while its average speed for the journey remained around 350 kms per hour (218mph). It has surpassed the Japanese bullet trains and France's TGV, both of which had services at speeds of around 300 kms per hour (188 mph). On its debut journey on Saturday, it sped from Guangzhou to Wuhan, a distance of 1,100 kms (688 miles) in a time of less than 3 hours. The debut run was sold out in terms of ticket sales. This was a journey that previously took other trains more than 11 hours to complete.

The reduction in travel time is phenomenal, and something that a country like China needs so badly. According to reports, the Chinese government spent a whopping 17 billion USD on the line construction for this project, and it took them nearly 5 years to complete. The ticket is priced at $115 for first class and around $70 for second class. Chinese airlines have now responded by cutting rates of their flights and also increasing the frequency of the flights on this route. The police force were posted all along the route and railway security patrolled each passenger car to rule out any possibility of sabotage. One disadvantage of the project is that both railway stations at the end of the line are at least one hour away from the city center. Guangzhou Railway Group head of passenger services, Huang Xin said, "Pricing might have to be adjusted".

The Chinese railways plans to complete 18,000 kms of high speed rail lines by the year 2012, in a bid to make the travel time between all provincial capitals in China less than 8 hours.