China's new high-speed train just set a new record as the world’s fastest — and it could travel faster than an airplane

I see the Chinese train speed disinfo psyop continues. 99% of so-called "Chinese disinfo" is real, accurate info. The other 1% is extremely misleading (if not outright fabricated) claims about train speeds. I will now show you why Becca Inglis has no idea what they are talking about (as is usual for journalists no matter where they're from).

Inglis claims that China's new high-speed maglev has reached 281 mph (452 km/h) and that engineers hope it will reach 621 mph (999 km/h).

Unfortunately, Inglis does not know how to read. The source provided for the first claim is an article incorrectly titled "At 281 miles an hour, China's new high-speed maglev train is the world's fastest". This article is also written by a confused "journalist" who has no idea how to do cursory research. They are referring to the CR450 tests which does not use magnetic levitation. The first sentence of the article sources an almost well-written EurAsian Times article. The contents of this article are very informative, and it does not make the incorrect claim that the CR450 trains are maglev. They even list two TGV tests that went faster than this CR test. Strangely, they do not mention the Chuo Shinkansen which reached a top speed of 603 km/h (375 mph) and will have an operational top speed of 505 km/h (314 mph) when it starts running in a few years. Despite the accurate content of the article, the title - "At 453 KM/H, China Tests World’s Fastest, New-Gen High-Speed Train That Is Safer, Energy-Efficient & Intelligent" - is still a lie. Not only is there an Ouroboros of bad journalists republishing other bad journalists' work but making it even worse (more like a human centipede of journalism I suppose), but all the journalists involved are dishonest hacks who want to lure readers in with false claims about "world's fastest train"!

"Engineers hope it will reach 621 mph" - no they don't. Your source for this claim is an article that makes it abundantly clear that a completely different train is being discussed.

Inglis states that China plans to build a country-wide high-speed maglev system

This is a claim I see frequently yet never anything to back it up. Indeed, the "source" is just some researchers saying they hope it becomes a thing one day. This is only marginally more serious than Elon promising we're going to build a transcontinental vacuum train. I cannot find a single sentence about maglev in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) and I have not seen a single journalist reach out to the appropriate ministries to conduct an interview about the possibility.

Inglis claims that "unlike with highways and traditional train tracks, animals can cross safely underneath maglev railways"

What? Do they think maglev tracks levitate off the ground or something? You still need to build a track. High speed trains cannot make sharp turns, so the track has to be very straight. In Japan, this means the majority of the Chuo Shinkansen will be in a tunnel. In China, a lot of high-speed rail is built on viaducts. Does this really "split the landscape"? This ridiculous claim is not Inglis' original thought but is instead copied almost word-for-word from the International Maglev Board. They will obviously say whatever to get people to buy maglevs.

Never trust a China train journalist!

It never fails to make me smile at how China developed such amazing high-speed rail in just a few decades

but at what cost!?