China-standard bullet trains start operation

DALIAN - The China Railway Corporation announced on Monday that its "China Standard" bullet trains, also known as electric multiple units (EMUs), have started operation in Northeast China's Liaoning province.

Train No G8041 departed from Dalian for Shenyang, capital of Liaoning on Monday. It is the first passenger service using China Standard EMU trains, said Zhou Li, head of technological management at the China Railway Corporation, the national rail operator.

"China independently owns the design of the EMU, and it will be a leading model for China to export to the world," Zhou said.

The China Standard EMU uses the latest exterior design, reduces energy consumption, and adopts a standard parts design, he said. It has reinforced safety features compared with old models, he added.

The trains can reach a speed of 350 kilometers per hour.

China's EMU fleet of 2,470 trains is the world's largest, and the total length of high-speed track in the country -- 19,000 km -- represents 60 percent of the global total.

In the future, China will offer rail products and solutions according to the needs of various countries, he added.

Chinese bullet trains have already found international customers in Indonesia, Russia, Iran and India.

Construction of a 150-km high-speed link between the Indonesian capital Jakarta and Bandung began in January 2016. It will cut travel time between the two cities by about two thirds. The project is almost entirely Chinese, including the technical standards, survey and design, construction, equipment manufacturing and personnel training.