From the Korea Times, a new train is being tested with a top speed of 430km/hour (267miles/hour)(!!!). For my North Carolina readers, of which there are at least two, that’s Asheville to Raleigh in one hour. Fuck. Yes.
The super-badass looking HEMU-400X is coming to Korea if it passes government testing.
The story says government testing will be thorough due to unforeseen problems with Korea’s current high-speed train, the KTX. From the article:
In particular, the latest “KTX-Sancheon,’’ which was built through the country’s own technologies, suffered various mishaps including derailment and stoppages although there were no casualties.
The KTX currently tops out at 300km/hour (186m/hour). That’s not too shabby on its own, though I’d sure hate to be on one of those derailments!
Speaking of derailments, the high-fallutin’ US plan to introduce high-speed trains appears to have fallen off the tracks without ever moving forward. Guess I might have to sign up for a car-share program if I don’t want to blow my savings when I get back from Korea.
Jen Pace
Daniel Daugherty
