[RahulNagaraj]

According to reports, China has unveiled a prototype of what it claims is the world's fastest high-speed train.

The prototype of the high-speed train called the CR450, is said to have achieved test speeds of 450 km/h. This significantly outpaces the current CR400 Fuxing trains which have a top speed of 350 km/h. However, apart from the speed itself, reports also suggest that the CR450 offers better safety, energy efficiency and passenger comfort. China unveiled two prototypes: CR450AF and CR450BF, both feature an 8-car formation and come with advanced water-cooled, permanent magnet traction and a high-speed bogie system.



Reports claim that the CR450 will continue undergoing further testing and refinement. The country has yet to announce an official timeline for the train's commercial operations to begin but has hinted that it could start sometime next year.

Source: TOI

Link to Team-BHP news

[Tony2298]

It's hard to accept but is the harsh truth that Chinese have outpaced everyone in game of technology especially when it comes to electric and electronics. They're what the Americans and Europeans were in 60s, the Japanese of 80s&90s and Koreans of the 21st century.

Koreans are not that far behind but Japanese have really slowed down to an extent that they're now laggards in terms of modern technology and its implementation in mass scale. They stunned the world by their innovative and high tech gadgets and machines back in the day with things like Shinkansen bullet trains. Companies like Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi were a formidable competitors to leading European and American auto giants and even outclassed them in certain areas. Tech companies like Sony, Nikon, Panasonic were and even now considered leading giants in the tech world but sadly all of them have gone a terrible nosedive in the recent past.

Almost all of the innovative tech we see nowadays mostly come from Korean and Chinese companies only, few from Americans and Europeans but Japanese I don't remember anything noteworthy in recent times.

Even in automobile industry they don't have any radical new tech or innovation to offer, yes some might argue about Strong Hybrid tech but man that tech dates back to 90s when Toyota was developing their first gen Prius which debuted in 1998 to the world! All of their legendary cars viz Toyota Supra, Nissan Skyline GTR R34/R35, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI/VII/VIII, Honda S2000, Acura NSX etc dates back to the last century and now they're more or less an extinct species. Toyota is selling in massive numbers due to their reliability factor and as they say they're considered Nokia of automotive industry, Honda is no longer the force to be reckoned with, Nissan and Mitsubishi are on the verge of bankruptcy. It breaks the heart of a person whose childhood went in dreaming about the Japanese cars and being struck in awe while using Japanese tech.

Sorry for moving from the original topic but the recent news of Nissan& Mitsubishi and seeing the rapid progress of Chinese left me heartbroken somehow.

Thank you
Tony

[Ays7]

I have to say, China's public infra makes the rest of the world, and us India feel like we live in Stone Age. Here, even now, Rajdhani express, arguably the fastest train in India, and now the Vande Bharat, still do not have that kind of speeds.

Bom - New Delhi Rajdhani takes 15.5 Hours to travel 1300 ish Kilometers, and for the fastest train on the network, the average speeds are abysmal.

In India, given budgetary constraints and lack of foresight and planning, what we do is hotch potch. We really need to invest in better tracks capable of handling faster trains, improve track capacities to improve speeds all around.

I am all for Bullet Trains. But they will be for elite. Invest an equivalent amount on your normal track upgrades as well, to enable higher speeds on existing networks, might be the best way forward.

Railways are still the lifeline of India, and what they need is massive infrastructural overhaul, while still being affordable for the masses. Otherwise, in name of development, we will slowly push the affordability away from the larger masses who are forced to rely on them.

[FiatDiesel]

China is setting up new benchmarks in innovation be it defence, technology or infrastructure. It’s not just about money but the vision coupled with strong execution skills in time bound manner with quality.

What we do have in India is money and vision but leadership to make it happen is missing which includes planning and on ground execution in a specific time.

Here is the recent interview of the man who designed and created Vande Bharat, very candid and insightful discussion of the problems, waste of funds etc. People like him are the need of the hour and should be given top job, just like fine professional EAM we have.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vu1prH...IGV4cHJlc3M%3D

[neerajku]

This is one area where personally very disappointed with Indian Railways and its crop of best of the best engineers and administrators.
In mid 80s we had Shatabdi with a promise of 100 kmph per hour under Scindia ji, one of our better ministers and today even after 40 years we are struggling with 130 KMPH which incidentally, is the top speed and not the average.
Many decades ago Rajdhani, Bombay mail, Geetanjali, TN express, Jayanti Janta, Coromandel etc. used to be 90 KMPH or so and may be still the same now. Except better coaches and some safety it has not changed much
China has grown leaps and bounds and has even line built on permafrost 10-15 years back.
We have the capability but the slow behemoth that the railway is, taking too much time.
For the last three decades lots of capex seems to have gone into doubling of tracks, then diesalisation and then electrification. Wonder when will we see genuinely fast trains!
With airfares impervious to the slow down of the economy, it is really important that the Railways pick up the gauntlet.
The new airport operators will keep on jacking up the rents and with a near monopoly will keep milking us.
One example is Chennai, two Shatabdi and Vande Bharat have really stabilised the airfares. There is a scope for many such routes.

[OffRoadFun]

Reminded me of an old article on how China's high speed trains transformed China but increasing mobility. People could afford to live far from work, do business and still afford a house, have a life. I saw Maglev in Shanghai in 2006 and was extremely impressed.

It's an old article but still worth a read:

>> China’s high-speed rail system has emerged as an unexpected success story. Economists and transportation experts cite it as one reason for China’s continued economic growth when other emerging economies are faltering.

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/b...for-china.html

As for us, we are still trying to be better than the fastest STEAM engine in the history (some 85 years back) and are not there yet. All lost in cacophony and debates unfortunately.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNER_C...4_4468_Mallard

I might be a bit caustic here, we blame leaders for our failures regarding railway/transportation. Have we ever wondered how we will advance in the capital intensive area where people vote for those promising free /ridiculously subsidized rides in buses and trains. As a nation, we need to introspect. Don't majority of people want everything for free which is political class panders to?

[jkt]

Originally Posted by neerajku

In mid 80s we had Shatabdi with a promise of 100 kmph per hour under Scindia ji, one of our better ministers and today even after 40 years we are struggling with 130 KMPH which incidentally, is the top speed and not the average.

Not that I disagree with your opinion at a high level, but Top speed is certainly 160 or more, not 130 KMPH!

I think that I traveled in Gatimaan Express on Jhansi-Delhi route in year 2023 and on a considerable section of route between Agra and Delhi it was traveling at a sustained speed of 160 KMPH!!
And I was surprised that it was very stable even at that speed!

[lemedico]

It's our own fault in India, that we are still stuck in what appears like the stone age when compared to China!
Last week they showed off 6th gen fighter jets, now this train

Imagine where India would be if there were a few more tax payers over the miniscule 2% or so! Until then, please eat only caramelised popcorn

[no_fear]

Originally Posted by OffRoadFun

>> China’s high-speed rail system has emerged as an unexpected success story. Economists and transportation experts cite it as one reason for China’s continued economic growth when other emerging economies are faltering.

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/b...for-china.html]

The flip side of the argument is that China has a USD 900 billion debt due to spending on high speed rail, which is now turning to be a pretty big headache for the country's economy. Ridership is down, most routes are unprofitable, and it has become a vanity project for the country.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Tony2298

Sorry for moving from the original topic but the recent news of Nissan& Mitsubishi and seeing the rapid progress of Chinese left me heartbroken somehow.

Same here.

What I find most bizarre is that the Japanese were among the earliest automobile manufacturers to dip their fingers into EV. Toyota had the RAV4 Electric that was sold briefly in the USA and then canned. Nissan had their Leaf which continues to sell today and is a vastly different and much improved version of the First Generation Leaf, which had a lot of flaws in its Battery Tech. For a company that has been producing EV's for a little over a decade, its strange that the entire portfolio consists of just two electric vehicles. They dipped their fingers into it and then forgot about it. They are now going to the Chinese to learn how to build an electric car! The fundamentals of electric mobility should be simple to any Engineer that it boggles my mind why the Japanese could not work it out.

The Chinese can build anything today. To perfection. The CR450 is one of many examples of what they can do. They have followed the exact same principles of the Japanese. Copy or learn from a design. Refine and keep refining.

As for our own country, the only time a VB will run to its full potential is when we have dedicated Passenger only tracks. Our existing lines are way too saturated to do any "High Speed" runs.