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November 15, 2011

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Overhauled bullet trains back on track

BULLET trains recalled after a fatal crash in July are to resume operations from this week, according to a Ministry of Railways official.

A total of 54 CRH 380BL bullet trains on the Shanghai-Beijing route have been overhauled to fix technical problems and six trains will be back in service tomorrow, the official said.

"After a three-month process of modifications and repeated tests, previously reported problems with the CRH 380BL trains have all been fixed. Operations will gradually resume starting from Wednesday," the official told the Xinhua news agency yesterday.

"If everything goes well, all the recalled trains will resume service by December 6," he said.

China's state-owned train maker, China CNR Corp, announced on August 12 the recall of 54 trains it supplied for the high-speed rail link between Shanghai and Beijing. The trains, all CRH 380BL models, were to be investigated for equipment failure and modified accordingly.

The recall came three weeks after 40 people were killed and nearly 200 others injured in a collision near the city of Wenzhou in eastern Zhejiang Province.

Preliminary investigations showed the accident was caused by serious design flaws in railway signaling equipment, as well as loopholes in railway safety management.

The recalled trains were not the same model as those involved in July's crash. The two trains involved in the collision were assembled by two subsidiaries of CSR Corp, another Chinese train manufacturer.

However, the recall was part of the government's efforts to soothe public concern over the safety of the high-speed train service, which has been plagued by a series of power outages and blackouts.

The country also launched nationwide checks from mid-August to mid-September to "thoroughly eliminate risks" on high-speed railways.

Before CNR's recall, the Beijing-based company had suspended delivery of CRH 380BL trains, citing flaws in braking systems.

Meanwhile, a D5682 bullet train was delayed for 40 minutes due to technical problems yesterday, Hangzhou Television reported. The train, from Jinhua in eastern Zhejiang Province, was stopped in Hangzhou and passengers heading to Shanghai changed to another one.


 

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