China’s bullet trains shoot into the future – India’s roads amble into the

[ChinaToday]

For our politicians, there's something truly addictive about the Chinese that goes beyond slurping down noodles. First, foreign minister Salman Khurshid visited China just after its forays into Ladakh made Indians see red. But Khurshid used purple prose for China's Reds, waxing eloquent about Shanghai's infrastructure, adding chilli peppers to our wounds by remarking how much he'd love living there!

Now, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah's returned, similarly Red Star-struck. Siddaramaiah went to Dalian, China, to attend a World Economic Forum summit. His dalliance with Dalian left him agape at China's infrastructure, especially its bullet trains and pothole-free roads. Siddaramaiah's stated Karnataka too must enjoy such silken streets and instructed engineers to study how the Chinese pull off this marvellous feat, apparently tougher for our government than even rocket science.


However, while Siddaramaiah's enthusiasm for wrinkle-free roads is commendable, he's looking in the wrong place for the way forward. The answer lies not with new engineering plans but old contractors filling in the blanks, using iron and concrete that turn to sand and slush when the next monsoon occurs. So that they can win the next contract for maintenance, with built-in obsolescence of the roads they lay, and relay, and relay all over again assured. Surely the technology for laying roads that can survive the next monsoon isn't such a mystery. Other countries get monsoons and heavy rains as well but easily accomplish this feat. But in India even stretches like the Delhi-Jaipur highway, vital for tourist traffic and good only a few years back, deteriorate into a medieval commute that an antique Mughal might recognise. No wonder there's such a distance from Chandni Chowk to China. We're several centuries behind and catching up via our potholes, sorry roads, will take a while.

Time to travail: China’s bullet trains shoot into the future – India’s roads amble into the past - Times Of India

 

[NGV-H]

For our politicians, there's something truly addictive about the Chinese that goes beyond slurping down noodles. First, foreign minister Salman Khurshid visited China just after its forays into Ladakh made Indians see red. But Khurshid used purple prose for China's Reds, waxing eloquent about Shanghai's infrastructure, adding chilli peppers to our wounds by remarking how much he'd love living there!

Now, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah's returned, similarly Red Star-struck. Siddaramaiah went to Dalian, China, to attend a World Economic Forum summit. His dalliance with Dalian left him agape at China's infrastructure, especially its bullet trains and pothole-free roads. Siddaramaiah's stated Karnataka too must enjoy such silken streets and instructed engineers to study how the Chinese pull off this marvellous feat, apparently tougher for our government than even rocket science.


However, while Siddaramaiah's enthusiasm for wrinkle-free roads is commendable, he's looking in the wrong place for the way forward. The answer lies not with new engineering plans but old contractors filling in the blanks, using iron and concrete that turn to sand and slush when the next monsoon occurs. So that they can win the next contract for maintenance, with built-in obsolescence of the roads they lay, and relay, and relay all over again assured. Surely the technology for laying roads that can survive the next monsoon isn't such a mystery. Other countries get monsoons and heavy rains as well but easily accomplish this feat. But in India even stretches like the Delhi-Jaipur highway, vital for tourist traffic and good only a few years back, deteriorate into a medieval commute that an antique Mughal might recognise. No wonder there's such a distance from Chandni Chowk to China. We're several centuries behind and catching up via our potholes, sorry roads, will take a while.

Time to travail: China’s bullet trains shoot into the future – India’s roads amble into the past - Times Of India

This makes me glad that Chinese and local engineers are working on the large road-building and infrastructure-building projects in Sri Lanka. I think in a few years all corners of the island will be connected to the capital by Chinese supported expressways!

 

[INDIC]

Time to travail: China’s bullet trains shoot into the future – India’s roads amble into the past - Times Of India

Here is China's White Elephant.

China's high-speed rail network reports staggering losses

China has faced deficits in each of its high-speed railway operations due to high up-front costs and the long wait for a return on investment, Shanghai's First Financial Daily has quoted a Chinese railway analyst as saying.

Eleven new high-speed railways started operations in 2012.

Some high-speed lines reported profits last year. The Beijing-Shanghai line made revenue of 17.38 billion yuan (US$2.2 billion) in 2012, breaking even from last June. The Shanghai-Nanjing intercity line reportedly has started making a profit.

Only lines running in the developed eastern coastal areas stand a chance of making money, said analysts, adding that most railways operating in areas of China's interior are still suffering huge losses. Improving networks in western areas will help these operators boost their revenues in the future, said an analyst.

There have been continual concerns over operational losses since the beginning of the country's high-speed rail construction boom. According to analysts, the Beijing-Tianjin, Shanghai-Nanjing, Beijing-Shanghai and Shanghai-Hangzhou lines are the only lines in the country that stand a chance of breaking even without amortization.

More high-speed rail links will be built in the country's interior regions in the next three years, said a foreign bank's transportation analyst, who said that operators of high-speed railways in the interior will gradually improve their construction quality but will need to wait three times as long to break even as more developed coastal provinces.

Railway companies' profits come mainly from freight business, which account for 70% of total profits. The high-speed railway network mainly focuses on passenger transportation, said analysts.

 

[dray]

Our railways run on a completely different principal, the service is affordable to the poorest of the poors, that's why one can still buy a train ticket for as low as Rs.2. Bullet trains don't fit into the scheme.

For roads, yes, corruption is responsible for deliberately poor construction.

 

[Lightningbolt]

India don't have railways, they have that rubbish their British masters built them century ago. I've seen dozens of Indians hanging out of trains in true 3rd world fashion.

 

[AnnoyingOrange]

India don't have railways, they have that rubbish their British masters built them century ago. I've seen dozens of Indians hanging out of trains in true 3rd world fashion.

Read this mr 50 cents ... Feature

India which is 1/3rd the size of China... has 63,000KM of railway tracks.. as against 93,000 KM of China.

Now calculate the coverage in percentage terms.

 

[cirr]

Here is China's White Elephant.

China's high-speed rail network reports staggering losses

China has faced deficits in each of its high-speed railway operations due to high up-front costs and the long wait for a return on investment, Shanghai's First Financial Daily has quoted a Chinese railway analyst as saying.

Eleven new high-speed railways started operations in 2012.

Some high-speed lines reported profits last year. The Beijing-Shanghai line made revenue of 17.38 billion yuan (US$2.2 billion) in 2012, breaking even from last June. The Shanghai-Nanjing intercity line reportedly has started making a profit.

Only lines running in the developed eastern coastal areas stand a chance of making money, said analysts, adding that most railways operating in areas of China's interior are still suffering huge losses. Improving networks in western areas will help these operators boost their revenues in the future, said an analyst.

There have been continual concerns over operational losses since the beginning of the country's high-speed rail construction boom. According to analysts, the Beijing-Tianjin, Shanghai-Nanjing, Beijing-Shanghai and Shanghai-Hangzhou lines are the only lines in the country that stand a chance of breaking even without amortization.

More high-speed rail links will be built in the country's interior regions in the next three years, said a foreign bank's transportation analyst, who said that operators of high-speed railways in the interior will gradually improve their construction quality but will need to wait three times as long to break even as more developed coastal provinces.

Railway companies' profits come mainly from freight business, which account for 70% of total profits. The high-speed railway network mainly focuses on passenger transportation, said analysts.

And you actually believe this bullsh1t？

Come and visit China. And take a ride on the high-speed train for yourself。

Then you will know the truth。

PS Don't complain if you find high-speed train tickets are hard to come by these days，especially during weekends and holidays when the original goal of come-and-go（the way one takes a bus）is totally and utterly defeated。

PSS Over 5 new high-speed lines are scheduled to open by the end of this year。

 

[INDIC]

India don't have railways, they have that rubbish their British masters built them century ago. I've seen dozens of Indians hanging out of trains in true 3rd world fashion.

I have seen dozens of Chinese jumping in trains through windows in true 3rd world fashion.

 

[cirr]

India don't have railways, they have that rubbish their British masters built them century ago. I've seen dozens of Indians hanging out of trains in true 3rd world fashion.

Indians don't take trains，they pack themselves in the trains，and are brought forward and back the way pigs are in China。

 

[INDIC]

And you actually believe this bullsh1t？

Come and visit China. And take a ride on the high-speed train for yourself。

Then you will know the truth。

PS Don't complain if you find high-speed train tickets are hard to come by these days，especially during weekends and holidays when the original goal of come-and-go（the way one takes a bus）is totally and utterly defeated。

PSS Over 5 new high-speed lines are scheduled to open by the end of this year。

Can you provide some statistics. Reports says only Beijing-Shanghai HSR line is making profit.

Indians don't take trains，they pack themselves in the trains，and are brought forward and back the way pigs are in China。

That happens even in Chinese low speed trains.

 

[AnnoyingOrange]

Indians don't take trains，they pack themselves in the trains，and are brought forward and back the way pigs are in China。

Like this????

 

[darkhero]

Can you provide some statistics. Reports says only Beijing-Shanghai HSR line is making profit.

Public transportation is not meant for profit in China. For example, Beijing subway ticket price is only 2 RMB (0.3 US dollar) to anywhere. But it can make indirect profit for the nation by providing convenience for other business.

 

[AnnoyingOrange]

Public transportation is not meant for profit in China. For example, Beijing subway ticket price is only 2 RMB (0.3 US dollar) to anywhere.

In short Beijing Subway is a loss making entity...

But a similar setup in India is making profits on daily basis:
Delhi Metro making Rs 2-cr operational profit per day: Sreedharan | Business Line

And people are still using this mode... you know how much the longest journey ticket costs in this train: 38 Rupees.... that is 0.8 Dollars or 80 Cents.

 

[chhota bheem]

In short Beijing Subway is a loss making entity...

But a similar setup in India is making profits on daily basis:
Delhi Metro making Rs 2-cr operational profit per day: Sreedharan | Business Line

And people are still using this mode... you know how much the longest journey ticket costs in this train: 38 Rupees.... that is 0.8 Dollars or 80 Cents.

Now the doller is around 61. Its less that 80 cents its around 62 cents.

 

[IndoCarib]

we will have our own bullet train soon.

Next Stop, Bangalore: Japan May Help South India Build High-Speed Rail System