A new Chinese high-speed train will cut the travel time between Shanghai and Hangzhou by more than half, officials said. The China-made CRH380A train reached a speed of almost 259 miles per hour on its trial run between Shanghai and Hangzhou, Xinhua reported in Beijing. France has run special trains up to 357 mph. The train is designed to move at a speed of 217 miles per hour on the 125-mile-long railway between the two cities, and is expected to serve about 80 million passengers per year, Xinhua reported. The trip previously took 2 hours one way, but now is shortened to about 40 minutes, Xinhua reported. "China has (4,384 miles) of high-speed railway in service. It is the world's longest and the fastest, and boasts the most comprehensive technology," said He Huawu, chief engineer of the Ministry of Railways. The opening of the Shanghai-Hangzhou line will be a boon to transportation in the Yangtze River Delta, one of China's most dynamic economic areas, Liu Zhijun, minister of Railways, said. "It is also significant for regional economic, cultural and social development," Liu was quoted as saying by the United Press International (UPI). The Railroad Ministry said by 2012, it expects China to have a railway network of 68,350 miles, 8,078 miles of which will be high-speed rail. Xinhua reported many countries, including the United States, Brazil and Argentina, said they hope Chinese contractors can join their high-speed railway construction projects.
