ZhenRail G350

The ZhenRail G350, alternately known as the ZhenRail Electric Multiple Unit 350 or EMU-350, is a Zhenian with tilting capability primarily aimed for operation in ZNX lines owned and operated by the Zhenia National Railway Company. Although currently being supplemented by the newer G400 trains that have been produced since 1604, it remains as one of the most commonly-used types of high-speed trains in Zhenia. As the first that saw high-speed service in the ZNX network, it was developed from technology gained with the development and testing of the ZhenRail GX in the late 1580s and early 1590s, which feature marginal differences from the actual trainset that became the G350 today.

Development
Development of what would become the ZhenRail G350 stemmed from plans dating back to the early 1580s with the objective to develop a set of (EMU) for high-speed rail transport. Prior to the introduction of the G350, all high-speed trainsets operated by ZhenRail at the time were push-pull (PP) locomotive-based: that is, two locomotives located at either end of the trainset was the sole sources of the trainset's power. The implementation of electric multiple units in high-speed rail has been considered since the beginning of the ZNX network: although it would prove to be considerably more expensive than a locomotive-based trainset, electric multiple units were expected to increase the efficiency of rail usage and space within each trainset. While rising costs of establishing a nationwide high-speed network resulted in ZhenRail initially opting for locomotive-based trainsets, research on a high-speed electric multiple unit continued within ZhenRail throughout the 1570s and 1580s.

The development and testing of the ZhenRail GX throughout the late 1580s and early 1590s as ZhenRail's first electric multiple unit were the direct results of such efforts. The ZhenRail GX served as the testing platform for many of the technologies that were implemented into the development of the G350, while high-speed tests were also executed with the ZhenRail GX: on November 16, 1588, the ZhenRail GX became the first high-speed trainset in the nation's history to pass the 400 km/h barrier. Leveraging tilting technology from the parallel development of the ZhenRail GT-300, the ZhenRail GX also became the first dedicated high-speed platform with tilting capacity, with intentions of operation in non-dedicated conventional tracks. Although formal testing with the GX ended by 1591, its fundamental design was directly carried on into what would be the G350. Thus, subsequent development of the G350 progressed relatively quickly, with the first prototype being revealed to the public on June 27, 1593, at the National Railway Exposition in Changan, Zhenia. Two trainsets were made by the end of 1594, and were undergoing high-speed testing near high-speed tracks in the Manchang Testing Facility in Donghae North Province by then.

On April 30, 1595, ZhenRail signed a formal contract with Jinmu Heavy Industries for the procurement of 2,710 traincars, or more than 250 trainsets to be delivered by 1605. The first trains were expected to be introduced into the Trans Golden Arc Line and the Northeast Line between Daedo and Bukju via Changan by January 1597, in preparation of the 1597 Daedo Exposition. The first G350 train aimed for passenger service debuted in the Trans Golden Arc Line between Shin Daedo Station and Jinhae Central Station. Several additional units were subsequently delivered to ZhenRail for service, phasing the J320 out of C-class service by 1604. Its position, however, was challenged with the subsequent introduction of the G400, which featured even higher operation speeds than the G350.

Operators

 * Zhenia National Railway Company, Zhenia: ZNX train services