<p>The Xinhua News Agency said it was the fastest speed recorded by an unmodified conventional commercial train. Other types of trains in other countries have travelled faster.<br /><br />State television footage showed the sleek white train whipping past green farm fields in eastern China. It reached the top speed on a segment of the 824-mile-long line between Zaozhuang city in Shandong province and Bengbu city in Anhui province, Xinhua said.<br /><br />The line is due to open in 2012 and will halve the current travel time between the capital Beijing and Shanghai to five hours. The project costs $32.5 billion and is part of a massive government effort to link many of China’s cities by high-speed rail and reduce overcrowding on heavily used lines.</p>
<p>The Xinhua News Agency said it was the fastest speed recorded by an unmodified conventional commercial train. Other types of trains in other countries have travelled faster.<br /><br />State television footage showed the sleek white train whipping past green farm fields in eastern China. It reached the top speed on a segment of the 824-mile-long line between Zaozhuang city in Shandong province and Bengbu city in Anhui province, Xinhua said.<br /><br />The line is due to open in 2012 and will halve the current travel time between the capital Beijing and Shanghai to five hours. The project costs $32.5 billion and is part of a massive government effort to link many of China’s cities by high-speed rail and reduce overcrowding on heavily used lines.</p>