The CRH380A, also called “Harmony Express”, is the first high speed train that was completely developed in China. It uses the Japanese-designed CRH2 as a basis and has a maximum service speed of 380 km/h, although normal operation is up to 350 km/h. The original CRH380A consists of eight cars and the CRH380AL has 16 cars. So far, 170 CRH380A and 100 CRH380AL have been built.
The trains are being used in commercial service since October 2010. In the same year, one set a speed record for a series-production train with 486.1 km/h. This record was shortly thereafter broken by a CRH380BL designed by Siemens. A modified CRH380A set unofficially reached 604 km/h on a test track in 2012. The CRH380A is also being used by MTR and called “Vibrant Express”.
