Should China build our railways? Its bullet trains could soon travel at 310MPH after cutting edge upgrade (it would reach Paris from London in 57 minutes)

  • Research has been ongoing for some 10 years at Zhuzhou Institute
  • The development has been heralded as vital development for bullet train
  • Adds weight to argument that China should help improve trains in the West

By John Hutchinson for MailOnline

Published: | Updated:

Already a world leader in train technology, China is set to ramp things up even further as it plans to run trains at 310mph.

After some ten years of research and testing, new traction technology is now ready for use. In May this year the new system was introduced on a subway line in Changsha, capital of Hunan Province.

The technology was developed by China's CRRC Corp at its Zhuzhou Institute in Hunan province. 

Thanks to new designs on traction, China's bullet trains could now be hitting 310mph

Thanks to new designs on traction, China's bullet trains could now be hitting 310mph

'Now we have our own permanent magnet synchronous traction system with full intellectual property rights, marking a new chapter in China's high-speed railways,' Ding Rongjun, who works for the institute, told China Daily.

The technology has been described by key leaders in the project as the 'most important part' of the bullet train development. 

One of the fastest trains in the world is thought to run between Shanghai with the city's Pudong International Airport, exceeding 300mph.

Talks began in February this year for state-owned Chinese firms to sell high-speed trains to the United States, senior officials said on Thursday, a deal that would be likely to ignite controversy.

The new traction system has been described as a very important factor for the bullet train development

The new traction system has been described as a very important factor for the bullet train development

China's leaders have been promoting the country's fast rail technologies in meetings with foreign politicians as they seek to move the country's exports up the value chain, and Chinese companies are building high-speed rail networks in Turkey and Venezuela.

In 2013, after talks in Beijing with David Cameron, Premier Li Keqiang said he wanted a slice of the £50billion High Speed 2 scheme.

After meeting Mr Cameron and senior ministers, Mr Li said they ‘agreed to push for breakthroughs and progress’ in co-operation on nuclear power and high-speed rail. 

The successful trialling of the new traction system will be another weapon in the Chinese armory as they look to prove themselves as the most innovative where trains are concerned.

Jia Limin of Beijing Jiaotong University, who heads China's high-speed railway innovation program, hopes that the new traction system can be up and running across the board by 2018.

'The new system has fewer parts than the current traction apparatus, so it is more reliable and efficient,' he said.

China's bullet trains could soon be hitting speeds of 310MPH

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