Aerial photo taken on June 12, 2025 shows the CR450 prototype moving along the Wuhan-Yichang section on the Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu High-Speed Railway. (Photo: Hubei Daily / Liu Shusong)

The CR450 high-speed train prototype departed from Yichang North Station on the Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu high-speed railway line and headed for Wuhan on Thursday, marking its type testing in Hubei.

As a critical part of the national major horizontal rail route, the Wuhan-Yichang section of the Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu High-Speed Railway spans 313 kilometers with a designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour.

The CR450 prototype is capable of reaching a test speed of 450 km/h and an operational speed of 400 km/h. This achievement makes it the fastest high-speed train in the world once it enters commercial service, surpassing China's current CR400, which operates at 350 km/h.

Designed to be the world's fastest high-speed train, the CR450 marks a major step forward in China's railway innovation, with breakthroughs in speed, safety and energy efficiency. (en.hubei.gov.cn by Zhang Yawei）