Racing Into The Future: China Debuts Fastest Cross-Sea High-Speed Train Line

Note from the author: This article contains merely facts, and details within may vary with the actual situation. The information within this article was updated as of the publication date, October 3rd, 2023.

On September 28th at 9:15 a.m., a Fuxing bullet train G9801 departed from Fuzhou South Railway Station, marking the official opening of a new high-speed rail line along the Taiwan strait. Today, we’re looking at more than this rail line but the broader goal of Chinese high-speed train lines.

This new train line runs in the Fujian Province of China, connecting Zhangzhou, Xiamen and Fuzhou with 277 kilometres of track. It has 84 bridges, 29 tunnels, 20 kilometres of over-sea track, and crosses the Quanzhou, Meizhou, and Anhai Bays. Designed for 350 kilometres an hour, it cuts travel time between the two major provincial cities of Fuzhou and Xiamen to 55 minutes. Although it may seem like another addition to the already globe-leading Chinese high-speed train lines, on the inside, it’s much more than that.

Since 2008, the Chinese high-speed rail lines have been expanding like crazy, and now China has the most high-speed train tracks worldwide. The secret to China’s success over other countries in the bullet train industry is because of several factors, not one of which can be without.

Firstly are the world-leading Chinese engineers behind the projects, who learned technology from Western countries, then started innovating themselves, now mastering the craft of their art.

Secondly are the rails. It is common knowledge that good trains need to run on great tracks. So, Chinese engineers designed a whole new system separate from the old rails. That, together with state-of-the-art locomotives and motors in every car, enables the system to be used to its full potential.

Thirdly, land acquisition and long-term goals. Thanks to the benefits of the unique single-party rule, the moment a plan is signed off, chances are it can get implemented for some time. Then there is the lesser amount spent on land acquisition – roughly only 8% of the budget – compared to other countries, giving the project more money to develop other sectors.

Currently having more than 40,000 kilometres of high-speed rail track, officials have plans of expanding that statistic to 70,000 kilometres by the year 2035, in other words, almost doubling it in the next decade. And the opening of the Fuzhou-Xiamen-Zhangzhou line is only a small addition to that.

Anyway, with the billions invested into high-speed rail, what comes out of it? A lot, frankly. Although it may not seem obvious, cheap, fast rail travel means commuting between nearby cities becomes much more efficient, making the dense urban city centres accessible to everyone, even those in rural areas. Meanwhile, it creates more jobs. The whole process of sustainable railroad engineering and the high-tech insides of the trains also proved how advanced China is in this sector.

Besides the benefits of high-speed rail, there’s another reason people like this system: The train cars themselves. Thanks to sound-absorbing material and comfy adjustable seats, sitting inside a bullet train feels both comfortable and noiseless, and there is surprisingly strong stability despite the high speeds. And if you have the money to upgrade to a business class ticket, then be ready to make it your best train-travel experience ever, with everything from wireless charging for smartphones to a sofa-like seat and the best services on the train. On the outside of the train, the antennas are hidden in the train car roof, enabling an air-dynamic shape and the Internet of Things (IoF) at play.

So what do you think? Will you be taking a bullet train anytime soon? Post your thoughts in the comments. That’s the end of this production from the New News Newsminute. Thank you for reading, and tune in next time for more.