Home-grown tech in high-speed trains

The China Railway High-speed 5A (CRH5A) train with a domestic-designed traction electric drive system and network control system entered into its final trial stage Tuesday, highlighting China's mastery of the core technology of high-speed trains and entry into fully independent innovation.

The traction electric drive system and network control system are the core manufacturing technologies of high-speed trains.

The successful trial of the CRH5A marked a leap from "Chinese-made" to "Chinese-designed" trains, the Xinhua News Agency quoted an employee from the China CNR Corporation, the manufacturer, as saying.

The traction electric drive system is the "heart" of a high-speed train that provides the power source, while the network control system is the "brain" that commands its operation, according to Xinhua.

The CRH5A train began tests in the Harbin railway bureau after passing expert review on October 22.

"We used to spend a large amount of money to buy techniques from other countries. Now, we could make innovations by standing on their shoulders [and go further], which is a benign development mode," Wang Mengshu, a rail expert from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, told the Global Times.

"China now owns design blueprints, but still lacks seasoned mechanics who can offer superb manufacturing techniques [to promote the development of high-speed trains]," said Wang.

The country's first high-speed railway, linking Beijing and the neighboring port municipality of Tianjin, was inaugurated on August 1, 2008, with trains traveling at speeds of up to 350 kilometers per hour.

China has the world's longest high-speed railway network of 11,028 kilometers, with another 12,000 under construction.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has been adopting "high-speed railway diplomacy" during overseas trips since he took office in March 2013 as an important way to boost multilateral economic cooperation.