CRH5A
In 2004, the Ministry of Railway in China contracted Alstom and CNR Changchun Railway Vehicles to produce 60 sets of the train with a maximum speed of 250 kilometres per hour (155 mph). These trains have been given the designation CRH5A, and are still the only type of the CRH5 trains. 30 additional sets were ordered in 2009 and 20 additional sets were ordered in 2010 to complete the current fleet operating on China's northern and eastern lines. On April 26, 2011, the MOR ordered an additional 30 sets.
As to the initial 60 sets, the first three were manufactured by Alstom's factory in Italy, and the next six were delivered in complete knock down form and assembled by CNR Changchun Railway Vehicle. The remaining 51 sets were built by CNR Changchun through technology transfer from Alstom.
The first train (CRH5-001A) departed from Savigliano port, Italy on December 11, 2006 and arrive at Dalian port on January 28, 2007. The first CRH5A set made by CNR Changchun (CRH5-010A) was delivered in April, 2007.
The CRH5A sets started service from April 18, 2007, the date of the sixth national railway speed-up at the Beijing-Harbin Railway. In the following years, it opened service at the Jinan-Qingdao high speed rail and Shijiazhuang-Taiyuan high speed rail.
Each of the CRH5A set consists of 8 cars. The initial 12 sets (CRH5-001A ～ CRH5-012A) have one first-class seating car (ZY), six second-class seating cars (ZE), and one second-class seating/dining car (ZEC). The subsequent sets have two first-class seating cars (ZY) and six second-class seating cars (ZE).
The CRH5A trains experienced a number of failures in early stages. The failures were attributed to new technologies introduced on CRH5A and a relatively short trial run before the first delivery
Read more about this topic: China Railways CRH5