China unveils new 350-km-per-hour bullet train

BEIJING, April 11 (Xinhua) -- China's first domestically produced bullet train, able to reach 350 kilometers per hour, rolled off the production line on Friday.

The train, the latest model in the China Railway High-speed (CRH) Series, was produced in the northern city of Tangshan by the China Northern Locomotive and Rolling Stock Industry Corp.

The eight-carriage train can seat 557 passengers.

Three such trains would begin service on the new 120-kilometer Beijing-Tianjin route before the Olympics starts in August, the manufacturer said.

In all, 57 such trains were expected to be in commercial operation by the end of 2009.