China’s Experimental Bullet Train Hits 497 mph in 5 Seconds

China’s Donghu Laboratory says an experimental maglev train car has broken its own short-distance acceleration record for the third time in six months. It reached 0 to 497 miles per hour (about 800 km/h) in roughly 5.3 seconds on a 1-kilometre test track, then demonstrated controlled braking. Researchers credit advances in high-power energy delivery, levitation control, electromagnetic propulsion, precision positioning, and emergency braking. The record is for testing, not passenger service.