China-built high-speed trains to be tested for Russian weather extremes

Trains designed for the Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway are to be tested at extremely low temperatures, according to the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) Changchun Railway Vehicles, reports the China News Service.

A CRH2G bullet train, which can withstand extreme weather conditions such as strong winds and sand storms, making a test run on the Lanzhou-Urumqi high-speed rail line. [Photo: China Daily]

The trains will run at speeds of 400 kilometers per hour during the test, said Zhang Yuanyuan, a business manager at the company.

The 770 km long Moscow-Kazan high-speed rail, currently under construction, is a trial segment for a proposed 7,000 kilometer high-speed rail line that will connect Beijing with Moscow, a joint project between China and Russia, according to media reports. 

The 213-metre long bullet trains are expected to reach 400 km/h and could operate at minus 40 to 50 degrees celsius.

The high-speed railway linking Moscow and Kazan, the capital of Russian republic of Tatarstan, is expected to be completed in 2018, cutting journey times between the two cities to 3.5 hours from the current 14 hours.

In October 2014, Russia and China signed a memorandum of understanding in relation to the Moscow and Kazan line, during a visit by the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.