High-speed train service in China is among the most efficient and least environmentally harmful public transit infrastructure in the world. Traveling at speeds over 200 miles per hour, Chinese trains transport passengers all over the country while running on electricity (increasingly derived from clean energy sources).
At such great speeds, passengers might expect a bumpy trip, but as it turns out, that's not the case.
@renziqiang high speed train#beijing #china #chinese ♬ original sound - Ren China
One recent TikTok video from a "Local Beijinger" content creator called Ren China (@renziqiang) shows off how smooth the ride is in one of these trains.
Ren first shows that the train is hurtling down the tracks at a speed of 215 miles per hour. Then, he takes a water bottle and balances it upside down on one of the window ledges. The bottle barely moves.
As much as it seems like some sort of parlor trick, the incredibly smooth ride is actually a result of the "maglev" or magnetic levitation technology used to build the trains.
Other TikTokers who have ridden on Chinese high-speed trains have also noted the phenomenon. In addition, those content creators have mentioned the trains' comfort, affordability, and regular schedules.
According to a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, switching from plane to electric train travel would be one of the most effective methods of curbing our reliance on dirty energy and stopping the ongoing overheating of our planet.
Of course, doing so would involve a substantial commitment from our government, as has happened in China. So far, the only high-speed rail being developed in the United States is a couple of privately owned individual lines in Florida and California — far from the expansive, interconnected network that China boasts. Even more incredible, practically the entire network has been built within the last 15 years.
The North American viewers of Ren's video were left pining for a similar service in their home countries.
"America is so far behind in high speed rail!" wrote one commenter.
"While in the USA we have car payments we can't afford, expensive fuel, expensive car insurance, and tolls," wrote another. "Lord help us."
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