China: Prototypes of two eight-car CR450AF and CR450BF trains made their debut in Beijing.
With an operating speed of 400 km/h, the two trains will make China the country with the world’s fastest wheel-rail vehicles in commercial operation.
The train based on the national Fuxing platform has been under development since 2021. This vehicle, with an announced axle load of 14.5 tf, features distributed traction, permanent magnet drive and composite materials as well as a lighter bogie shown in 2024.
Presentation of CR450 high-speed trains. Source: CCTV
According to Zhao Hongwei, a leading engineer at the China Academy of Railway Sciences, the new train is 22% more energy efficient and 10% lighter than its predecessor, the CR400. The design team believes that the interior noise level will be 2 dB lower. Some improvements are said to be made to the control system, but no details are yet available.