China's Shanghai-Hangzhou rail line opens, hits record breaking speed of 262mph
High speed railways, particularly in Asia, have been soaring at around 200 miles per hour for quite some time now, but given just how much pride the Chinese have in their own rail system, it's no shock to hear the entire nation gloating about a new speed record. Of course, we're pretty partial to records ourselves, so we'll happily open up a round of applause when a bullet train hits 262 miles per hour without imploding. The newfangled Shanghai-Hangzhou connection (which connects Hongqiao and Hangzhou) has gone into service today, with most riders treated to a top speed of only 220 miles per hour. Officials have already stated that they're hoping to improve speeds to over 312 miles per hour, with other nations reportedly anxious to get ahold of their technology. Oh, and if you're curious about details, the CRH380 train covers 126 miles in just 45 minutes, with seats starting as low as $12.
Update: We've learned that a maglev train in China has been known to hit around 268 miles per hour as recently as two months ago -- we're sure semantics are to blame here.
