Chinese train breaks acceleration world record

Published August 13th, 2026 - 09:55 GMT
Experimental maglev train
People visit a prototype magnetic levitation train developed with high-temperature superconducting (HTS) maglev technology at the launch ceremony in Chengdu, in southwestern China's Sichuan province on January 13, 2021. (Photo by CN-STR / AFP)

ALBAWABA - An experimental Chinese bullet train breaks the acceleration world record it set previously by going from zero to 800km/h in five seconds.

The experimental maglev train unveiled earlier this year in China is set to revolutionize high-speed rail transportation, paving the way for ultra-high-speed rail; moving from rest to 800km/h in 5.3 seconds and coming to a complete stop after.

The experimental maglev train uses magnetic force to lift itself off the rails, erasing friction completely and ensuring the train reaches maximum speeds using magnetic waves through coils to push the train forward.

Perhaps more impressive is that the train can come to a complete controlled stop using its own brake systems, hitting zero from 800km/h in around 200 meters.

This would be the third time in six months that the train breaks this record as it keeps going faster and faster as Chinese scientists keep pushing the technological limits of the train further and further.

Current regular maglev trains in China run at about 320km/h with the fastest of them reaching 350km/h, with the 800km/h train being simply an experiment and is not yet meant for passenger transport though scientists hope its underlying principles will lead to advances in rocket and jet technology.

Even so, researchers at China’s National University of Defense Technology are building ultra-high-speed maglev trains with passenger transport in mind with one of these ultra-high-speed trains achieving an acceleration of 697km/h in just two seconds.