(File photo: Xinhua)

A new set of longer Fuxing bullet trains will start running on the Beijing-Shanghai line on Jan 5, according to the China Railway Corporation.

With a designed speed of 350 km per hour, the new train measures 439.9 meters and has 17 carriages with a designed passenger capacity of 1,283, 7.5 percent more than current trains.

Application of the new trains is part of the country’s effort to develop itself into a strong transportation nation capable of producing advanced transportation equipment, according to an official with the China Railway Corporation.

Entirely designed and manufactured in China, the Fuxing train is more spacious and energy-efficient, with longer service life and better reliability.

Over the past decade, high-speed railways have developed rapidly in China. The country currently has the world’s longest high-speed rail network, about a third of which has been designed to run at a speed of 350 km per hour.