The China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock Industry (Group) Corporation (CSR), a major supplier for China railways, inked a developing agreement on financial cooperation on Monday with the China Development Bank. According to the agreement, the bank will provide a 15-billion-yuan developing financial loan to support CSR's researches on high-speed trains traveling at the speed of 200-300 kilometers per hour in the next three years. The CSR said it has started the production of 60 high-speed trains in the country, reports the Beijing Times on Tuesday.

This signifies that China will adopt "wheel/rail technology" and the "magnetic levitation" technology will be phased out thoroughly. China's high-speed trains, planned for many years, have passed the stage of planning.

The first batch of 120 high-speed trains has been put on order, said Zhang Xinning, spokesperson with the CSR in an exclusive interview with the Beijing Times' reporter. The CSR has received an order of 60 trains, which has been handed over to its subsidiary, CSR Sifang Locomotive and Rolling to build.

Zhang disclosed that China's high-speed trains will be more comfortable for passengers than the BSP passenger cars on the Beijing-Shanghai rail line. In addition to fast speed, the high-speed trains in the nation will be more comfortable and safer than those of other countries. It is more worth noting that the high-speed trains will have China's own brand. The CSR will import the technology from a Japanese company in manufacturing.

As a matter of fact, the 15-billion loan includes the import of the Japanese technology. In addition, the loan will also include the technological import of the CSR motor train sets traveling at the speed of 200 kilometers per hour, high-power electric locomotives and diesel locomotives.

By People's Daily Online