All is not what it seems within China's High Speed Rail development.

China's new high-speed trains halted again
Posted: 12 July 2011 2112 hrs

BEIJING - China's new flagship high-speed rail link between Beijing and Shanghai suffered fresh delays Tuesday due to a power cut, transport authorities said, two days after a similar incident hit the line.

A power failure near the eastern city of Suzhou in Anhui province halted trains on the $33 billion line, before services re-started two hours later once faulty equipment had been repaired, the railways ministry said in a statement.

"The air-conditioning went out and it was sweltering in the carriage," a passenger was quoted as saying by the news website Eastday.com.

The incident was the second in just three days after 19 trains were halted for about 90 minutes Sunday when thunderstorms and heavy winds brought down the power supply to a section of the line in the eastern province of Shandong.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao formally opened the new line, which halves the rail journey time between the two Chinese cities, on June 30, although it had been operating on a trial basis since mid-May.

He said the high-speed line -- launched on the eve of celebrations to mark the 90th birthday of China's Communist Party -- would be key to "improving the modern transport system... and satisfying people's travelling needs".

However, huge investment in the new link has made the sector a hotbed for corruption, raising concerns over costs and safety.

China's state auditor in March said construction companies and individuals last year siphoned off 187 million yuan (US$29 million) in funds meant for the Beijing-Shanghai link.

The revelation followed the February sacking of former railways minister Liu Zhijun, who allegedly took more than 800 million yuan in kickbacks over several years on contracts linked to China's high-speed network.

- AFP/ir

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Spartan95 said:

Looks like some teething issues with PRC's brand new Beijing-Shanghai high speed railway:

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Given the complexity of the project, this is to be expected though.

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I was surprised that there is not more of problems. Giving such an immense project, within blinding speed schedule, problem will surely crop up nothing unusual. Overall China chalk up another success

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Hendrik_2000 said:

I was surprised that there is not more of problems. Giving such an immense project, within blinding speed schedule, problem will surely crop up nothing unusual. Overall China chalk up another success

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bladerunner said:

Deserved or otherwise I think there will be a question mark hanging over products made in China for sometime to come.

Ok on what basis can you substantiate that China makes the bestest trains.
Even when New Zealand used international consultants to recommend Four of the most capable train builders to tender for the half billion locomotive project in Auckland China was not even considered

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And not only that it was only a couple of years ago with the Bay Bridge project in SAn Fran. inspectors from America found substandard welding in key parts made by Zenhua a subsidiary of CCCC a prestigous and builder of many bridges around China.

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Although the faults were fixed it was claimed that the inspectors were too strict and were later fired.

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My point is that they copped so much bad press over the years over quality its proving hard to shake off. As regards the quality of welding that had been found been wanting by Western standards . had this been a internal job would there have been the same concern given the rush to get things done in a great hurry or cost saving and how do we know that this does'nt occur within the railway construction.

Also problems may not crop up straight aways. They can present themselves years from now in the form of premature wearing out etc.

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But Zhang Quanling, an anchor with China Central Television, said on her micro blog that the railway authorities should cast a critical glance at their operations.

"Why do the public and media express doubt and act 'irrationally'? Because when some (government) departments promote a new thing or a new policy, they only talk about the positive, but avoid mentioning shortcomings," she said. "The public may not buy the words totally, but their expectations are high.

"If the railway department pre-warned that high-speed trains could be disrupted by thunderstorms and gales, or that problems are inevitable in the initial stages, I would not have such high expectations ... Rationality should be fostered from the very beginning."

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An international standard drafted by China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock Industry Group Corp (CSR) on overhead railway contact lines was permitted by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), Beijing Daily reported on Thursday.
It is the first time China made an international standard in the railway industry. The overhead contact line is used to supply power for the train's electric traction.

This standard, which was proposed by CSR Zhuzhou Electric Co Ltd in 2009, was officially launched on June 29, 2011, with 100 percent agreement of all IEC's member countries.

The report said it is a big step for China's railway industry because the international standards in this field were in the past always made by developed countries.

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bladerunner said:

Deserved or otherwise I think there will be a question mark hanging over products made in China for sometime to come.

Ok on what basis can you substantiate that China makes the bestest trains.
Even when New Zealand used international consultants to recommend Four of the most capable train builders to tender for the half billion locomotive project in Auckland China was not even considered

And not only that it was only a couple of years ago with the Bay Bridge project in SAn Fran. inspectors from America found substandard welding in key parts made by Zenhua a subsidiary of CCCC a prestigous and builder of many bridges around China.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Although the faults were fixed it was claimed that the inspectors were too strict and were later fired.

My point is that they copped so much bad press over the years over quality its proving hard to shake off. As regards the quality of welding that had been found been wanting by Western standards . had this been a internal job would there have been the same concern given the rush to get things done in a great hurry or cost saving and how do we know that this does'nt occur within the railway construction.

Also problems may not crop up straight aways. They can present themselves years from now in the form of premature wearing out etc.

Click to expand...