Not so fast, but this bullet train still hits the target
By Zha Minjie |
June 17, 2011, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
WHILE the railway operator tried its best to let the bullet trains fly when the Shanghai-Hangzhou and Shanghai-Nanjing high-speed lines began operating, it is making sure the brakes are on along the Shanghai-Beijing route.
Still, hurtling along at around 300 kilometers per hour, bullet train 380BL, heading north from Shanghai to Beijing yesterday, passed by fields, rivers, mountains, tunnels and buildings in the blink of an eye.
The train was making one of many preview trips before the link opens to the public by the end of the month.
Leaving from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station at 9am, the train arrived at Beijing South Railway Station at 1:56pm yesterday, a mere eight minutes later than scheduled and much faster than the current 10-hour service.
"My ears are a little bit singing," said one of the Shanghai journalists on the trip as the train sped up. "But it's quite comfortable here," he added, smiling as he lay back on a seat which can stretch out to full length.
He was sitting on the service's most expensive seat, with a ticket price of 1,750 yuan (US$270), which allows passengers to rest, read, watch TV and listen to the radio.
Cheaper tickets range from 410 to 935 yuan.
However, the WiFi service and cellphone signal didn't seem as good as the seats. Passengers found the signals unstable, especially as the train whistled through tunnels.
Compared to current bullet and fast trains, the trains on the Shanghai-Beijing line can provide 120 minutes of power if there is a problem with the external supply. This means the lights and air-conditioning can still operate for a couple of hours compared to the previous situation where passengers had to sweat it out if there was a breakdown.
In an emergency, passengers can use hammers to break windows in each carriage or use the emergency brake.
Once an emergency is verified by the driver, the train can stop from full speed within a minute.
The Shanghai Railway Bureau, the regional rail authority, said yesterday that the crew for the high-speed service had finished their training and more than 400 of them were now qualified to drive the trains.
It is a demanding job, and there will be several drivers sharing duties on each service.
Sitting in the driver's cab yesterday, as he had done for the past month, Ren Gang frequently peered at the screen showing the train's speed. "The drivers will see to it that the speed is steady," said Ren, deputy chief engineer with Tangshan Railway Vehicle Co, the train's designer and maker. "They will not let the train fly."
The train reached speeds in excess of 416 kilometers per hour during tests. But instead of boasting about the record, he tried to keep it low-profile.
"Even if the drivers try to make the train go faster," Ren said, "the control system will slow it down."
The bullet trains will be kept at two speeds, 300kph and 250kph, with the operator promising passengers a smooth and steady journey.
High-speed lines already in operation are also slowing down.
China put the brakes on its bullet trains following safety fears.
The fastest routes will be cut from 350kph to 300kph as of July 1, Railway Minister Sheng Guangzu said previously.
Still, hurtling along at around 300 kilometers per hour, bullet train 380BL, heading north from Shanghai to Beijing yesterday, passed by fields, rivers, mountains, tunnels and buildings in the blink of an eye.
The train was making one of many preview trips before the link opens to the public by the end of the month.
Leaving from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station at 9am, the train arrived at Beijing South Railway Station at 1:56pm yesterday, a mere eight minutes later than scheduled and much faster than the current 10-hour service.
"My ears are a little bit singing," said one of the Shanghai journalists on the trip as the train sped up. "But it's quite comfortable here," he added, smiling as he lay back on a seat which can stretch out to full length.
He was sitting on the service's most expensive seat, with a ticket price of 1,750 yuan (US$270), which allows passengers to rest, read, watch TV and listen to the radio.
Cheaper tickets range from 410 to 935 yuan.
However, the WiFi service and cellphone signal didn't seem as good as the seats. Passengers found the signals unstable, especially as the train whistled through tunnels.
Compared to current bullet and fast trains, the trains on the Shanghai-Beijing line can provide 120 minutes of power if there is a problem with the external supply. This means the lights and air-conditioning can still operate for a couple of hours compared to the previous situation where passengers had to sweat it out if there was a breakdown.
In an emergency, passengers can use hammers to break windows in each carriage or use the emergency brake.
Once an emergency is verified by the driver, the train can stop from full speed within a minute.
The Shanghai Railway Bureau, the regional rail authority, said yesterday that the crew for the high-speed service had finished their training and more than 400 of them were now qualified to drive the trains.
It is a demanding job, and there will be several drivers sharing duties on each service.
Sitting in the driver's cab yesterday, as he had done for the past month, Ren Gang frequently peered at the screen showing the train's speed. "The drivers will see to it that the speed is steady," said Ren, deputy chief engineer with Tangshan Railway Vehicle Co, the train's designer and maker. "They will not let the train fly."
The train reached speeds in excess of 416 kilometers per hour during tests. But instead of boasting about the record, he tried to keep it low-profile.
"Even if the drivers try to make the train go faster," Ren said, "the control system will slow it down."
The bullet trains will be kept at two speeds, 300kph and 250kph, with the operator promising passengers a smooth and steady journey.
High-speed lines already in operation are also slowing down.
China put the brakes on its bullet trains following safety fears.
The fastest routes will be cut from 350kph to 300kph as of July 1, Railway Minister Sheng Guangzu said previously.
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