CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -China launched several new freight train routes in 2022 that connected its various provinces to Vietnam and Laos in southeast Asia; Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Iran and some Central Asian countries; and Hungary, Netherlands, Germany and Italy in Europe.

Detailed explanation-2: -In recent years, another two China-assisted rail lines-the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway and the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway-have both been put into operation.

Detailed explanation-3: -In 2004, the Shanghai Maglev Train became the world’s first commercially operated high-speed maglev. As of 2023, it remains the fastest commercial train in the world with peak speeds of 431 km/h (268 mph) and makes the 30.5 km (19.0 mi) trip in less than 7.5 minutes.

Detailed explanation-4: -The total route is 2, 000 kilometers starting from Chongqing, passing Lincang and the Mengding-Chinshwehaw border gate to Mandalay. The delivery time is 15 days, which is 20 days shorter than the traditional route and the logistics cost can be lowered by 20 percent.

Detailed explanation-5: -The first railroad to operate commercially in China opened in Shanghai in July 1876. The railway, known as the Woosung Road, ran from the American Concession in the present-day Zhabei District to Woosung in the present-day Baoshan District and was built by the British trading firm, Jardine, Matheson and Co.