China’s Domestic Multiple Unit Trains Undergo Operation Test, with Speed Reaching 239 MPH

The completely China-developed standard multiple unit trains are currenly under model tests on Daxi Passenger Railway Line in North China, Taiyuan Railway Bureau of North China’s Shanxi province said on Monday. The maximum test speed will reach 239 MPH.

In recent years, China’s sees rapid development of its high-speed railway undertakings. According to data provided by China Railway, China’s multiple unit trains have accumulated an operating mileage of over 172 million, with about 1,900 multiple unit trains currently in operation, ranking the first place in the world.

Since 2012, China Railway has gathered the relevant businesses and academic resources to develop China’s standard multiple unit trains. The collaboration successfully formulated the overall technical conditions by the end of 2013, completed the entire design by September of 2013, and the trains rolled off line in June of 2015.

This is not yet it. According to Taiyuan Railway Bureau, before the official operation of a new multiple unit train, hundreds of miles of testing operation is ran to ensure the designs could reach the safety standard to transport the passengers.

Daxi railway between West Yuanping and Yangqu is the ideal site for comprehensive performance tests for the freshly-off-line trains, as it was built with high standards and geographically proper for such testing. The model test is expected to be finished prior to 2016 Spring Festival in February.