BEIJING: A high-speed train in China has set a new world speed record during a trial run.
The train hit a maximum speed of 416.6 km per hour on its journey Tuesday between Shanghai and Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, Xinhua reported.
The train is designed to run at a speed of 350 km per hour on the 202-km-long track between the two cities. A one-way journey previously took two hours. But the new train would lessen that to around 40 minutes, officials said.
"It is the world's longest and the fastest, and boasts of the most comprehensive technology. We have an ambition to lead the world in high-speed railway construction," said He Huawu, chief engineer of the ministry of railways.
China had also set a world record June 24, 2008, with the Beijing-Tianjin high-speed train hitting a top speed of 394.3 km per hour.