Very high-speed trains: is China revolutionizing rail travel?

Written by Sophie Renassia

Published yesterday

Already the world leader in high-speed rail infrastructure, China is striking again. With its CR450 prototype, it is poised to revolutionize long-distance travel as early as 2025. How will this happen? With a train capable of reaching the dizzying speed of 450 km/h, making it possible to link Beijing and Shanghai in just 2.5 hours (compared with 4.5 hours today)! A train that could become the fastest in the world, far faster than our TGV or even Japan's Shinkansen. On paper, this innovation has everything going for it. But what about the ecological implications? We take a closer look.

The world's fastest train

Designed by China's national railway group CRRC, the CR450 boasts some impressive features:

• Top speed: a tested speed of 450 km/h and a targeted commercial speed of 400 km/h, far surpassing current standards. Braking performance is said to be 20% better than the previous model.
• Optimized design: a streamlined snout and a structure 10% lighter than that of the previous model (CR400) to reduce air resistance and energy consumption.
• Comfort: business and first class cabins reminiscent of airline luxury, a futuristic cockpit design... In short, a train that makes you want to jump in.

If it reaches the production stage, this train would replace the current CR400s, which connect the country's cities at around 350 km/h.

With this technical feat, the CR450 surpasses the current Japanese Shinkansen (320 km/h on the Shinkansen Tōhoku line, with a top speed of 360 km/h planned for 2031 on the line Shinkansen Hokkaidō). However, a new train planned for 2027 is aiming for a top speed of 500 km/h on the new Chuo Shinkansen line!

It also surpasses our French TGV: despite a record speed of 570 km/h during a test run in 2007 (during the “V150” operation, a specially modified TGV trainset reached a speed of 574.8 km/h on Europe's LGV Est high-speed line!), our TGV is limited on its daily routes to a speed of between 270 km/h and 320 km/h.

An ecological alternative or a bad idea?

On paper, the CR450 has it all:

• Fuel efficiency: thanks to a lighter design and improved aerodynamic drag management, its fuel consumption is said to be 20% lower than that of the CR400.
• Alternative to the airplane: above all, for short and medium-haul journeys, it could offer a much less polluting alternative, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions!

However, on closer examination, a number of limitations need to be highlighted:

• Ecological cost of infrastructure: in practice, what about the pressure exerted on resources and ecosystems for the construction and maintenance of such very high-speed lines? On the construction side, China's vast high-speed rail network (47,000 kilometers of high-speed lines) could perhaps limit the phenomenon. But when it comes to maintenance, the cost seems more uncertain.
• Energy source: of course, the environmental impact of the CR450 will depend heavily on the origin of the electricity needed to power this rail giant.
• Exponential wear and tear: finally, as this BFM article points out, beyond 320 km/h, wear and tear on rails, wheels and catenaries increases exponentially, raising maintenance costs and energy consumption. That's why our French TGVs don't exceed this threshold. As this Géoconfluences article points out, Alstom, the French multinational that assembles our TGVs, “has no plans to exceed 350 km/h commercial speed (...) because, at these speeds, the technical constraints (wear and tear on rails, wheels and catenaries; energy consumption) become severe and costly”. To find out more, we recommend this study and article.

Speed VS efficiency: two opposing visions

So, revolution or one-upmanship? By demonstrating its ability to push back the limits of high-speed rail, the country is asserting its leadership on the world rail industry stage. But if this project has the potential to revolutionize long-distance transport (and the merit of offering an alternative to air travel!), its ecological cost and real utility remain to be demonstrated. To be continued...

Meanwhile, in France, a completely different strategy is emerging to revolutionize the sector.

“We could design a train going 350 or 360 km/h, but that's not our objective. We know that the ideal speed - the one that balances cost, wear and tear on the infrastructure and energy consumption - is 320 km/h. Our priority is to reduce the carbon impact of rail travel." - David Goeres, head of the French TGV M project, for our podcast “Je t'offre un rail?”

At a time of climate urgency, SNCF Voyageurs and Alstom are preparing another revolution: that of the TGV M. Scheduled to enter service at the end of 2025, this “modular” train focuses on flexibility and efficiency rather than speed.

“What's exciting about this project is that it's not just about making a train that runs, but one that meets the needs of today and, above all, tomorrow. The TGV M is designed to be evolutionary, adaptable, and to accompany the transformations in mobility for the next 30 years.” - David Goeres, French TGV M project manager

To find out more about the TGV M, the “high-speed train of the future” in its blue-white-red livery, click here: