Now, what I suspect a lot of people here don't know, is that before the very high-profile CRH era, the MOR and its factories developed a few of China's own prototype models.

China Star

(Images from Hudong Tupian (http://tupian.hudong.com/s/%E4%B8%AD%E5%8D%8E%E4%B9%8B%E6%98%9F/xgtupian/1/5))

http://a3.att.hudong.com/66/80/01000000000000119088081873666.jpg

http://a2.att.hudong.com/46/04/01200000012881122443047153277.jpg

http://a4.att.hoodong.com/36/95/01300000022805119927958136677.jpg

Formation - push+pull and 9 carriages

Top operational speed - 270 km/h

This train is formed of 2 electric locomotives one at each end, and 9 carriages in the middle. Top operational speed is 270 km/h though in a test-run as early as 2003 it achieved 321 km/h.

And Blue Arrow,

http://i2.ce.cn/ce/xwzx/gnsz/gdxw/200910/13/W020091013771192991313.jpg

(Picture from http://www.ce.cn/xwzx/gnsz/gdxw/200910/13/t20091013_20192685.shtml)

http://hiphotos.baidu.com/stepdo/pic/item/0c257fcf0d5d5f3cf8dc61d0.jpg

(Picture from Baidu http://hi.baidu.com/stepdo/blog/item/554a9722a380a8f3d7cae2cc.html)

The blue arrow has a formation of push+pull+5 carriages, and is designed for 200 km/h running. The train was developed between 1998 and 2000 and test run speed reached 305 km/h. Seems it has been in trial passenger service in 2009 and 2010 in Sichuan though exact details are hard to compile and information on the internet has discrepencies.

For probably very valid reasons MOR opted for importing European and Japanese models for the CRH network. These trains seemed to have been forgotten somehow, with further development of the China Star practically abandoned.

I read that the MOR estimated that the trains would take another 10-15years to iron all the bugs and get them to 300km/h+.

However, they needed the trains in 5years.

I read that the MOR estimated that the trains would take another 10-15years to iron all the bugs and get them to 300km/h+.

However, they needed the trains in 5years.

China Star had some pretty significant faults like axle temperature reaching 100 degress plus well above safe range during testing grinding the test to a hualt. This was a decisive factor for MOR opting for imported models.

After that China Star was abandoned as though there was no hope in it whatsoever. Personally I think it's perfectly normal to import trains as all countries do that, but existing domestic projects should have been carried on. Who knows that if efforts carried on maybe we could have a mature China-developed 200km/h regional EMU train by now.