Chinese bullet train a bust

[cw2005]

Good point. What outsiders will see is that PRC has bullet trains. The US putting men on the moon was a prestige boost for them, although it has had no effect on the homeless people in the US or those that survive on Food Stamps. These trains may not be viable, they definitely help improve national prestige. There are always pros and cons.

Other than national prestige, PRC also wants to reduce the dependence on air traffic for its long distance transportation system as PRC is still years away to build its passenger planes. Another consideration is the reduction of oil importation. Anything the PRC does bearing clear and multiple target(s).

 

[amoy]

People going to short distances like 300 or 400kms will go on train which will be cheaper, instead of air. That would be terrible for Airlines.

and beyond 400kms - for example once 550km Xiamen-Shenzhen is completed this yearend the trip will take 3hrs +， plus easy connection to Shenzhen-Kowloon (Hong Kong) railway for on-carriage. Most people will opt for bullet-train. For air travels, normally airports are relatively far from downtown and 1-hr lead-time min. is required for check-in, needless to mention the traffic at distination. In comparison rail terminals are closer (or right situated inside downtown like mine) and passengers just need to arrive 15mins ahead and jump onto train (that's me!) Inside trains people can walk around read magazines browse DFI or have a drink or meal.

For those who wish to travel "green" rail is a good choice, with greater mobility across further integrated regions

It's understandable why HSR gets an incentive and priority when one looks at terrain/landscapes/size of China in contrast to Japan or Germany. Besides not to forget enourmous trickle-down effects from all this HSR extension - demand generated on other industries - steel, machinery... and job opportunities created therefrom.

Yet airlines do face a big big challenge on short routes coupled with hiking bunker price.

 

[Armand2REP]

Safety fears slow China's high-speed trains

The Chinese government has announced a significant lowering in the top speed of its hallmark Beijing-to-Shanghai high-speed train that it will be allowed to run at when it opens later this month after a review of safety, shoddy workmanship and corruption... the new line will only be permitted to run at about 250 kilometres per hour instead of the projected 380 km/h has taken the bloom off the opening.

The bullet train plans are only about half of a nearly $800-billion project to build about 18,000 kilometres of new conventional rail track as well as the 16,000-kilometre high-speed network.

China's independent business weekly magazine, Caijing, reported in February that an analysis by the China Minsheng Bank found last year that the Railway Ministry's debts were 56 per cent of its assets and could reach 70 per cent of its assets, or over $455 billion, by 2020.

In March Forbes magazine reported that the Railway Ministry has already accumulated $300 billion in debt, and is taking on onerous repayment obligations on bonds and bank loans.

There's been a good deal of criticism that these grandiose schemes are way beyond what China can afford, needs or can regulate in the foreseeable future.

Certainly existing bullet trains are running with few passengers because ticket prices are way beyond the wallets of most Chinese. The projected Beijing-to-Shanghai ticket price, for example, is equivalent to the average monthly wage.

Read more: Safety fears slow China's high-speed trains

 

[gogbot]

These are new systems give them time to reduce prices.

Having good rail is so important i cant understand how it it is ignored in the us and europe.

Long term china will reap huge benefits.

We will find similar trends in India this decade and the next.

 

[Energon]

China's modernization schemes are known to be patchy where high profile projects like high speed rail supersede more practical requirements in the urbanization process. However in the long run I think this is a positive for China. The price for this service may not be affordable to everyone, but China's population is big enough to support a hefty consumer class that will utilize these services.

The other significant gain here is technical expertise. It takes a long time to build a well trained workforce to undertake complex projects and China is making quite an advancement when it comes to this.

Rail projects are never really profit making ventures for anyone. They are however an asset a government can use to promote economic activity and the net gain is totally worth it.

 

[Daredevil]

Chatter heats up over high-speed rail glitch

China's official Xinhua News Agency reported late last night, in both Chinese and English releases, that the G151 train on the country's brand-new Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway suffered a malfunction yesterday that resulted in a delay of "more than an hour." On the basis of reports in social media, however, news websites (including Shanghai's Xinmin Online), reported that the delay was two hours. Xinhua reported that "this malfunction was principally caused by thunderstorms." Principally?


News of the malfunction on the high-speed rail spread quickly on social media, where Chinese were reading a different account of what happened on the line. Xinmin Online, the official news website of Shanghai's Xinmin Evening News, quoted user "shirley_wang1018"³ writing on a microblog account that the train stopped for more than an hour, slowly started up again and had a second malfunction just 20 minutes later. Another web user wrote that there was no air circulation in the train cars, that the cars were leaning slightly, and that passengers were very nervous. Rail employees apparently explained to passengers that thunderstorms had caused an interruption of power to the overhead line system.

 

[LurkerBaba]

Bullet train in China derails, cars fall off bridge

Beijing (CNN) -- At least two cars of a high-speed bullet train fell off a bridge late Saturday after a derailment in eastern China's Zhejiang province, state-run news agency Xinhua reported, citing firefighting sources.

 

[sanjay]

This was more than a mere derailment - it was a collision of 2 bullet trains! :shocked:

Chinese bullet train falls from bridge after collision - Telegraph

This is why India shouldn't go in for this tech - not yet - because we'll be having this all the time.

 

[amoy]

death toll claims up to 33

Lightning-triggered crash

The accident occurred after high-speed train D3115 was allegedly hit by lightning and lost drive, and then rear-ended by another bullet train D301.

The former train was running from the provincial capital Hangzhou to the southeastern city of Fuzhou, and the latter one traveled from Beijing to Fuzhou.

The trains were administrated by two different regional railway bureaus - train D3115 by the Shanghai Railway Bureau while train D301 by the Nanchang Railway Bureau.

In the opposite direction, high-speed train D3212 from southeastern city of Xiamen to Hangzhou was also stopped by lightning at about 8 pm Saturday. No passenger was injured, said Liu Jiwei who was on board.

Pan Yiheng, the driver of train D301, was stabbed to death by a brake handle in his chest. He triggered the emergency brake at the last moment of his life, according to the FM93.0 radio of Zhejiang.

RIP

 

[Dovah]

Rest In Peace

 

[Iamanidiot]

RIP to the victims

 

[Blackwater]

Did they consult holy pak engineers. If not, then pls do to avoid future derailment. RIP to deads..

 

[nrj]

May rest in peace all deceased in this mishap.

 

[Vyom]

India can manage a lot more deaths by train accidents without the bullet trains. The incident is unfortunate. There cannot be even a percent chance of error in public transports, it is fatal. But this is just a single incident. They are on a learning curve.

 

[SHASH2K2]

 

[SHASH2K2]

 

[Armand2REP]

It wasn't a lightening strike when there were 4 power outages that plagued the line before. Shoddy construction and corruption are going to cost many lives and billions of dollars.

 

[roma]

It wasn't a lightening strike when there were 4 power outages that plagued the line before. Shoddy construction and corruption are going to cost many lives and billions of dollars.

china project management looks heck of an impressive from the outside - they seem to do things fast and on schedule , but i guess as a person actually living in prc - youd know better - shoddy construction and corruption ? ah well !

many of us do not begrudge china the well deserved success in civilian projects m in fact they could be an inspiration for india to do likewise .... we feel sorry for those who lost their lives and their families .

 

[nrj]

Accidents can happen. Be it any country.

Although Chinese Railways saw abundant corruption in last few years. Have they launched any probe to investigate the reason behind this mishap? It is possible that some ignorance as a outcome of malpractice resulted in this accident.

 

[Pintu]

Rest in Peace to them who died.