Boost for high-speed rail plans
Source: Xinhua |
December 27, 2012, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
The world's longest high-speed rail line, which spans over half of China, began operating yesterday, further cementing the country's high-speed railway development ambitions.
The opening of the 2,298 kilometer line was commemorated by the 9am departure of a train from Beijing to Guangzhou. Another train left Guangzhou at 10am.
Running at an average speed of 300km per hour, the new route cuts the travel time between the two cities from over 20 hours to about eight.
A total of 155 pairs of trains will run on the new line daily and alternative schedules have been made for weekends and peak travel times, the Ministry of Railways said.
There will still be 183 pairs of trains running daily on the old Beijing-Guangzhou line that runs parallel to the high-speed line, allaying concerns that the new line will increase passengers' travel costs.
A second-class seat on the new high-speed line costs 865 yuan (US$138), while a sleeper on the old line sells for around 430 yuan.
G801, the first train from Beijing yesterday, is comfortable and more passenger-friendly, according to reporters.
The high speed did not seem to have an effect on comfort, but it did make cell phone connections unstable, they said.
The line has a string of measures in place to ensure safety, a major concern for high-speed rail travel since a bullet train crash near south China's city of Wenzhou left 40 people dead in July 2011.
The measures include boosting maintenance for fixed equipment and mobile devices onboard and improving the control system to address problems that could occur during extreme weather, said Sun Shuli, a chief engineer.
The Wenzhou accident was blamed on faulty signaling equipment and improper management.
Zhang Hongsheng, who has worked as a bullet train mechanic since China's first high-speed train made its debut in 2007, said inspections on high-speed trains were now conducted on an hourly basis to ensure safety. "We also maintain regular risk checks and timely communication with the train driver, the conductor and the crew," Zhang said.
"I will definitely take the high-speed rail going between Beijing and Wuhan. It only takes four and a half hours," said Feng Qi, a passenger from Wuhan, a central China city on the Beijing-Guangzhou line.
By 2015, China aims to have around 120,000km of rails in operation, including 18,000 of high-speed rails and an express railway network reaching 40,000km that allows speeds of over 160kph.
Preparations for a new high-speed line linking the central Chinese cities of Zhengzhou and Xuzhou are under way.
The line will intersect the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed rail line and the Shanghai-Beijing high-speed rail line, which went into operation on June 30, 2011.
The opening of the 2,298 kilometer line was commemorated by the 9am departure of a train from Beijing to Guangzhou. Another train left Guangzhou at 10am.
Running at an average speed of 300km per hour, the new route cuts the travel time between the two cities from over 20 hours to about eight.
A total of 155 pairs of trains will run on the new line daily and alternative schedules have been made for weekends and peak travel times, the Ministry of Railways said.
There will still be 183 pairs of trains running daily on the old Beijing-Guangzhou line that runs parallel to the high-speed line, allaying concerns that the new line will increase passengers' travel costs.
A second-class seat on the new high-speed line costs 865 yuan (US$138), while a sleeper on the old line sells for around 430 yuan.
G801, the first train from Beijing yesterday, is comfortable and more passenger-friendly, according to reporters.
The high speed did not seem to have an effect on comfort, but it did make cell phone connections unstable, they said.
The line has a string of measures in place to ensure safety, a major concern for high-speed rail travel since a bullet train crash near south China's city of Wenzhou left 40 people dead in July 2011.
The measures include boosting maintenance for fixed equipment and mobile devices onboard and improving the control system to address problems that could occur during extreme weather, said Sun Shuli, a chief engineer.
The Wenzhou accident was blamed on faulty signaling equipment and improper management.
Zhang Hongsheng, who has worked as a bullet train mechanic since China's first high-speed train made its debut in 2007, said inspections on high-speed trains were now conducted on an hourly basis to ensure safety. "We also maintain regular risk checks and timely communication with the train driver, the conductor and the crew," Zhang said.
"I will definitely take the high-speed rail going between Beijing and Wuhan. It only takes four and a half hours," said Feng Qi, a passenger from Wuhan, a central China city on the Beijing-Guangzhou line.
By 2015, China aims to have around 120,000km of rails in operation, including 18,000 of high-speed rails and an express railway network reaching 40,000km that allows speeds of over 160kph.
Preparations for a new high-speed line linking the central Chinese cities of Zhengzhou and Xuzhou are under way.
The line will intersect the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed rail line and the Shanghai-Beijing high-speed rail line, which went into operation on June 30, 2011.
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