New Shanghai Bullet Train Is The Fastest Train in the World

China, already outpacing the U.S., Japan and many European countries in the expansion of their railway system, has now broken the world train speed record, clocking in at 258.86 miles per hour during the trial run of a new high-speed train on Tuesday.

The new train will operate between Shanghai and Hangzhou, the capital of East China’s Zhejiang province, and is expected to start regular service next month October.

Although China has the most high-speed railway lines in the world, covering over 4,300 miles, the response to the high-speed train, particularly on the Shanghai to Hangzhou route, has been lukewarm, owing in part to fares almost twice the cost of traditional trains and the complaint that frequent stops negate the benefit of moving quickly between them.

Hopefully cranking the speed will make it more agreeable to Chinese commuters, though the outlook might be more grim for China's fauna.