China to relaunch world’s fastest bullet train after deadly 2011 crash

After cutting back the speed of the Beijing to Shanghai bullet train following a deadly crash, China is set to again make it one of the world’s fastest.

New generation trains will service the route starting next month, making the 1,250-kilometer (777-mile) journey from the capital to Shanghai in just 4 hours, 30 minutes.

The latest trains were unveiled in June and have a top speed of 400 kilometers per hour (250 mph), according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

China first ran trains at 350 kilometers per hour in August 2008, but cut speeds back to 250-300 kilometers per hour in 2011 following a two-train collision near the city of Wenzhou that killed 40 people and injured 191.

China has laid more than 20,000 kilometers (12,400 miles) of high-speed rail, with a target of adding another 10,000 kilometers (6,214 miles) by 2020.

China has spent an estimated $360 billion on high-speed rail, building by far the largest network in the world.