China’s Humble-ish High Speed Beginnings: The CRH2 Trains
Ticket A53 | 08 August 2019
The CRH2 family of trains featured China’s first trainset that was actually able to run at speeds up to 350 km/h (217 mph), although according to some, China took a big risk — by modding it to run that fast. (It was originally good for “merely” 300 km/h (186 mph).
These trains were probably the most controversial trains, as they originally hailed from Japan. Never mind the legendary Shinkansen network; China still has its fair bit of groans against the Japanese — and they’re seen as “the invaders”. However, the rails are markedly less political, and thus, they were given yet another chance to spread their wings on Chinese rail territory.
A Major Improvement
The CRH2 trains, an invention from 2007, are a major improvement when compared with the “1” trains, or rather the CRH1 trains. The “2” trains generally have a window aligned with each row of seats, and usually can “split” window panes so that with larger windows, each row can “customise” how much sun they want to let in (or keep out). In First, Premier, and Business Class, each row of seats gets their very own window — something that has been reproduced only on the CRH380A/AL trains, and no other trainset so far.
That was the good bit. The bad bits are in the form of the door alerts. When doors open, it sounds like an outdated alarm going off, going wrong, too. When doors are about to close, up to 30 beeps can be heard. It makes that both effective and truly annoying. (The new CRH2G trains, thankfully, come with a much-improved door alert.)
However, the best thing about these “2” trains is that they remain very, very smooth. Their improvements, the CRH380A/AL trains, are also smooth — when compared with other CRH Harmony trains.
Born for Speed
Former rail boss (and now imprisoned rail boss) Liu Zhijun didn’t give a(n expletive deleted) about following the rules. The CRH2C trains (as above) were born for speeds of up to 300 km/h, but under Liu, it revved up to 350 km/h. My fastest trip on a “2C” train went up to 348 km/h.
Even today, these trains feature the aerodynamics needed to achieve crazy fast speeds, and are seen already as “killers” in terms of train “head” design. (In comparison, the Pendolino-ish CRH5A trains are seriously unimpressive.)
Not all “2” trains were born for speed, though. Some newer “2” trains were born for mountainous terrains (such as Baoji-Lanzhou in Central and Western China), such as the CRH2G train, right below…
Some of the Best Seats on the Rails
The CRH2 trains are known for their very comfortable seats — especially in First Class. We’re looking at Business Class-ish comfort in First and close-to-Premium-Economy-ish delights for Second.
These trains come with a footrest, a coat hook, plenty of space for your elbow (if you’re seated by the window), a big-enough armrest so as not to piss off your neighbour, and very generous leg-rest and recline. (As someone who’s 1.91 metres on the Y axis, I speak from the perspective of a First Class passenger.)
If you are extremely lucky, you can also bag Seat 13F in Car 7, which is the reserved seat — ready for wheelchair users, but also available for everyone else. It is the sole solo seat — and if you don’t like being distracted by the guy/lady next to you, it is totally heavenly.
The “2” Trains: A Success Story… to be continued…
“Thanks to” or “in spite of” (pick which side you’re leaning toward) their Japanese origins, these trains were built with precision and comfort in mind, and the need for killer speeds as well.
Their next-generation (2010 and later) trains were the CRH380A (8-car) and CRH380AL (16-car) trains. Now with Business Class, and on some trains, compartments and Premier, they’re a delight to ride on — if you can bear the horrific door alerts…
