For the past six months, China has been testing and improving its high-speed rail capability so that freight trains can carry cargo running at speeds of 350 kilometers/hour (210 mph).
China established its first “freight express” corridor on November 1, 2020, between the production powerhouse Wuhan (in Hubei province) to the capital city, Beijing, a 1,153-km (716-mile) route. At 5:30 am, the high-speed train Fuxing departed from the Hankou train station of Wuhan in Central China. Eight train wagon-cars carrying a total of 40 tons of e-commerce express shipments set out for Beijing, traveling at up to 300 kmh (186 mph). Also at 5:30 am, another train set out from Beijing’s west train station, headed for Wuhan.
The trains consisted of reconfigured standard Chinese high-speed train sets in which the seats had been removed, and into which two rows of blue freight boxes were stacked.
