Trainspotting: Updates Coming to the High-Speed Rail

The travel-hungry are starting to get a bit antsy with the city recommending that Beijingers refrain from traveling this holiday, but if we can’t hop on a train, at least we can dream of them. Luckily, China’s high-speed rail has gotten some headlines recently that can help ease the traveler’s mind with thoughts of choos and chugs.

Fastest train in the world, coming to a station near you？

This week, engineers at Southwest Jiaotong University in Chengdu showed off their latest design of a train that they expect will solidify the record for fastest train in the world under China’s belt. The sleek engine car (pictured at top) will be able to carry a train at 620 kilometers per hour using high-temperature superconductor magnet levitation technology. That would already leave Japan’s bullet trains in the dust, whose top speed is around just 320 kilometers per hour.

But the engineers don’t stop there – they hope to eventually implement Musk-like vacuum tubes around the tracks that will allow the train to achieve speeds of 1,000 kilometers per hour, or a bit faster than a typical jet liner. The realistic among us, though, won’t hold our breath waiting for that.

Low temps are no pain for this train

You may not make it to the Ha’erbin Ice Festival this year, but next year you might be taking a fancy new ultra-cold-resistant train up to see the ice sculpture parades because Beijing has recently unveiled a train that can withstand temperatures as low as -40 degrees Celsius while still hitting speeds of 350 kilometers per hour. The train also includes a new braking system that allows the breaks to move while parked in a very cold area in order to avoid freezing. The trains will operate between Beijing, Ha’erbin, and Shenyang, as well as Chengde on the new route to the Hebei capital that recently opened.

Keep quiet in the quiet cars

At the start of the new year, transit authorities followed through on a much-discussed plan to implement “quiet carriages” for some routes, including the route between Beijing and Shanghai. Passengers on the carriages will not be allowed to make phone calls or play audio through speakers, much to the delight of their sleepy neighbors who are just trying to get some shut-eye.

READ: Talking Travel: English Train Ticketing Site, Chaoyang Station Set to Open, and Baidu's Taxis to go Unmanned

Images: CNN, The Times