Not content with constructing high speed railways to every corner of the country, China now hopes to bring its technological skills in the sector to bear on international routes, particularly into Russia and other CIS countries.
Anyone who has taken a train from China to Russia will tell of the interesting tale that is the changing of the train’s wheels at the border. And that’s the number 1 challenge facing a potential high-speed rail link between the two countries.
Given that some of China’s earliest railways were built with assistance from the British, the Middle Kingdon adopted standard gauge for its track width, 1.435 metres. Russia and CIS countries, on the other hand, operate their trains on a track width of 1.52 metres. Hence the need to change the train’s wheel’s, or bogies, at the border.
But can this change in gauge be done at high speed? China surely believes so, as CRRC Changchun revealed on 21 October its prototype gauge-changing, high-speed train that addresses the issue and makes possible a non-stop service from Beijing to Moscow, at speeds of up to 400 km/h.
Gauge-changing trains are already a reality in other parts of the world. Spain has a surprisingly large number in operation, yet their speed is limited to no more than 250 km/h to ensure the adjustable wheelsets remain stable.
This is the difficulty that State-owned rolling stock manufacturer, CRRC, figures it has overcome.
The prototype train is a derivative of the CHR400-BF design, a member of China’s newest “Fuxing” family of high-speed trains. According to Railway Gazette, some ¥34·7bn in state grants have funded the research project.
CRRC also claims the prototype is ready to take on the extremes of the Siberian weather, being able to operate in temperatures anywhere between -50C and +50C.
Plans for a gauge-changing train capable of 400 km/h date back to May of 2027, when CRRC Chairman, Liu Hualong, announced to company’s intention to develop just that at a conference of China’s Belt & Road Initiative (BRI).
