Tests start on faster, extra-long bullet train

China is testing a Fuxing bullet train whose length and carrying capacity are double those of the current models, according to CRRC Tangshan Co, the developer.

The 415-meter-long train has 16 carriages, twice as many as trains already in operation, the company said in a news release. The units are undergoing final tests at the China Academy of Railway Sciences in Beijing, which focus on 28 major functions, including tractability, braking, network communications and aerodynamic performance.

The new train, which will have a designed speed of up to 350 kilometers per hour, will receive permits for manufacturing on a large scale if it passes all tests, according to the company, which is part of the State-owned China Railway Rolling Stock Corp.