China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) plans to build the world's fastest train. With speeds reaching 373 miles per hour, or 600 kmh, it will attempt to break the previous record held by Shanghai Maglev at 430 kmh.
Η company he is currently trying to develop a small magnetic levitation prototype that will be able to travel with 200 kilometers per hour on a three-mile test track. If successful, the plan is to harness China's 12.000-plus miles of rail track with high-speed transportation technology that can be applied across the country.
Magnetic suspension allows such high speeds, reducing the friction of traditional rail trains. Instead of the metal rails, the maglev trains (magnetic levitation) glide on an air cushion created by reversing the polarity of the magnet.
Of course, technology is not a new one. In addition to Shanghai Maglev, which is already operating in China, Japan completed its own maglev test last year and achieved speeds that reached 590 kilometers per hour.
The US Air Force continues to hold the maglev record with 633 mph or 1018 kilometers per hour with a missile-powered sleigh that traveled the distance of seven soccer fields in two seconds.
CRRC, for its part, doesn't just build high-speed trains in China. It has ongoing projects in the UK, Mexico, Thailand and many other countries, except of the United States.