Axalta Coating Systems, in collaboration with CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co., painted China’s new Fuxing bullet train.
A CR400AF model with Axalta’s bright red Imron coatings along its beltlines departed from Beijing South Railway Station to Shanghai on June 27, welcoming a milestone in China’s high-speed railway system.
As China’s next-generation high-speed train, the Fuxing – which means “rejuvenation” in Chinese – is designed to cruise at 350 kilometers per hour (217 mph) and reach a maximum of 400 kilometers per hour (249 mph), which doubles the speed of its predecessor, the Hexie train.
The Fuxing train is designed to last for 30 years, which is 10 years longer than that of the Hexie train. It also has been constructed to meet China’s latest rigorous environmental, safety and passenger-comfort standards.
Partnering with CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co., the world’s largest supplier of rail transit equipment, Axalta provided a comprehensive portfolio of surfacer, primer, basecoat and clearcoat to meet the Fuxing’s tough operating environments and high-speed demands, according to the company.
“The outstanding weatherability characteristics of Axalta’s products will provide the trains with 1,500 hours of resistance to aging, significantly upgrading the lifespan of the painted exterior of the Fuxing,” Axalta said in a news release.
China’s Fuxing trains have two models: the CR400AF and CR400BF. Fuxing’s CR400AF models are painted with Imron and decorated with poppy red coating beltlines.
“Axalta feels great honor to join in the design and construction work with CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co. and make it all happen,” said Willie Wu, vice president of Axalta and president of its Greater China operations. “Over the past 150 years, Axalta has kept its sights on providing sophisticated coating solutions and products to meet specific customer standards. We are excited to play our part in strengthening transportation networks and operation capacities across China and at the same time work with our business partners to contribute to great breakthroughs.”
Axalta is committed to various public transportation projects in China and has contributed to high-speed railway networks such as the high-speed trains of Harbin Dalian railway, and to trains in the extension section of Tianjin Urban Rail Line 1 and the Beijing Metro Line 15, the company noted.
