China's hi-speed railway - Symbol of toil and efficiency of the Chinese people

[somebozo]

Well a railway already links Pakistan-Iran-Turkey and inviting CHina and central asia to this key railway and turn the history of Asia. What is good about the Chinese is they want their neigbhours to be in lock step with their development so the whole region benefits. For the China bashing India I can only dream if they were to even accomplish a feat like this.

 

[Martian2]

We have already taken a look at the formerly-completed Wuhan-Guangzhou HSR (e.g. see post #23). Next, we will take a peek at the recently-completed Nanjing-Shanghai HSR. Finally, we will check on the progress of the Beijing-Wuhan HSR that is slated for completion next year in 2011.

Image above: Shanghai South Rail Station (Flickr user XXOM under CC License)

"This is Shanghai’s ultra-modern South Railway station."

"Modern rail travel in China: Wo Ai enjoys some quiche, salad and a cappuccino at Shanghai’s South Railway station while waiting for a train to Hangzhou."

Nanjing-Shanghai high-speed rail opens today (7/1/2010).

Length: 301 km
Stations: 21
Max speed: 350 kph
Travel time: 73 min
Schedule: 92 pairs of trains/day, later raised to 120 pairs/day

World's longest, fastest railway goes online in China - People's Daily Online

"World's longest and fastest railway goes online in China
16:08, July 01, 2010


The Shanghai-Nanjing high-speed railway, the longest and fastest inter-city high-speed railway with the highest standards in the world, started operation at 8 a.m. today.

China currently has nearly 7,000 kilometers of high-speed railways. Its high-speed railway has the longest operational mileage, the highest speed and largest scale in the world.

The Shanghai-Nanjing high-speed railway covers a distance of 301 kilometers with 21 stations and a top speed of 350 kilometers per hour. It links eight cities around the Yangzte River Delta and has become a powerful engine for modernization in that region, said Wang Yongping, spokesman of China's Ministry of Railways.

The railway line crosses the core area of the Yangtze River Delta, China's most dense urban circle group with the most advanced productivity and powerful economic growth. Statistics show that that region creates 22.1 percent of China's GDP, 24.5 percent of its fiscal revenue and 47.2 percent of total imports and exports though it only accounts for 2.2 percent of China's land area and 10.4 percent of population.

In 2009, GDP of the cities along the railway line, including Nanjing, Zhenjiang, Changzhou, Wuxi and Suzhou, amounted to 2.1 trillion yuan (around 306.72 U.S. dollars), accounting for 61 percent of the GDP in Jiangsu province.

The Shanghai-Nanjing railway line, completed in 1908, is one of the earliest major railway arteries in China. It is also one of the busiest railway arteries in China and the world. According to estimates, total traffic in the Yangtze River Delta will exceed 3 billion passengers in 2010, and traffic will reach 5.5 billion passengers in 2020.

China's State Council approved the plan for the inter-city transportation network in March 2005. The Shanghai-Nanjing high-speed railway, with investments by the Ministry of Railway, Jiangsu provincial government and Shanghai municipal government, started construction on July 1, 2008.

After its completion, there will be 120 pairs of high-speed trains arranged to join daily operation. In its initial period of operation, 92 pairs will be put into operation. It will take only 73 minutes from Shanghai to Nanjing. A one-hour urban circle between the two cities will be made.

The completion of the Shanghai-Nanjing high-speed railway meets the requirement of the Yangtze River Delta, taking a vital step in achieving full modernization in China. The railway, along with the Shanghai-Hangzhou high-speed railway, will strongly improve the network level of regional urban systems and modernization. It is critical to speed up the cooperation, linkage and integration process in that region and offer a wider platform for the development of the Yangtze River Delta, said Shen Yufang, professor of the Yangtze Basin Development Institute at East China Normal University.

Yanli, mayor of Suzhou city told reporters that Suzhou's economy is dominated by industry and the service sector only accounts for 39.4 percent of the tertiary industry. After the Shanghai-Nanjing high-speed railway starts operation, it will be more convenient for Suzhou to absorb Shanghai's radiation effects, which will be vital to promote the service industry— especially for high-end and modern service sectors such as finance, consultation and media industries.

The total length of track for China's high-speed railway (including the newly-built high-speed railway and existing railway lines with speeds of over 200 kilometers per hour) will reach 6,920 kilometers after the Shanghai-Nanjing high-speed rail officially joins the operation. China will be the country with the most comprehensive high-speed railway system technology, strongest integrated capacity, longest operation mileage, highest operation speed and largest on-going construction scale of high-speed railways in the world.

By People's Daily Online"

[Note: Thank you to 'marchpole' for finding this story.]

 

[Martian2]

Here are pictures of the current construction on the Beijing-Wuhan HSR. When the Beijing-Wuhan HSR is completed, it will complement the Wuhan-Guangzhou HSR and allow a passenger to travel from northern Beijing to southern Guangzhou via HSR. The Beijing-Wuhan HSR is supposed to open in 2011.

However, it is possible that the Beijing-Guangzhou HSR may not open until 2012. I have lost most of my ability to read Mandarin. I cannot independently check on the latest information available on Chinese websites to ascertain whether the timetable has been accelerated from 2012 to 2011.

China HSR map

Pictures of the construction on the Beijing-Wuhan HSR to open in 2011:

Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railway to open in 2012 - People's Daily Online

"Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railway to open in 2012
10:19, December 30, 2009

Reporters learned from railway authorities that the Beijing-Shijiazhuang and Shijiazhuang-Wuhan high-speed railways are currently under intense construction and a trip from Beijing to Guangzhou by train will only take 8 hours in 2012.

The Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed railway that went under construction from June 2005 is an important part of the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railway. It runs through Hubei, Hunan and Guangdong provinces, totaling about 1,068 kilometers. The opening of the Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed railway reduces the travel time between the 2 cities to 3 hours from the original 10 hours.

According to the Wuhan Railway Bureau, the travel time between Beijing and Guangzhou has reduced to 21 hours from over 90 hours in the past, after passenger train speeds were increased several times. Following the opening of the Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed railway and the construction of other high-speed railways in progress, the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railway will serve as a main artery running through China from north to south in the future, and the trip from Beijing to Guangzhou will only take 8 hours. An "8-hour transport circle" that China is striving to build will gradually become a reality.

Zhang Shuguang, head of the Transportation Department of the Ministry of Railways, said that China will form a 1-8 hour transport circle, which has Beijing at its center and allows travel between Beijing and most provincial capitals in 1-8 hours. China will also build a transport circle that allows travel between central cities, such as Shanghai, Zhengzhou and Wuhan, and their surrounding cities in half an hour to 1 hour. China's high-speed passenger transport network connects all provincial capitals and large cities with a population of over 500,000, and covers 90 percent of the population nationwide. It will significantly shorten the inter-city distances.

By People's Daily Online"

[Note: Thank you to "Scion" for the pictures and the update on the 2011 opening date.]

 

[Martian2]

China's high-speed rail lines are able to achieve a world-record average speed of 328 km/h because she developed and "owns 940 high-speed railway patents."

Fast train to open a year ahead of schedule

"Fast train to open a year ahead of schedule
By Xin Dingding (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-15 07:19

Beijing: The highly anticipated Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway will begin operation next year, and is expected to cut travel time to four hours, railway officials said.

The high-speed railway between China's two most important metropolises was scheduled to open in 2012 but will now open one year ahead of time, said Zheng Jian, chief planner with the Ministry of Railways.

Wang Zhiguo, vice-minister of railways, said that it would be a four-hour journey from Beijing to Shanghai, and only three hours from Beijing to Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu province.

At present, it takes about 10 hours to travel from Beijing to Shanghai and Nanjing by train.

A new-generation bullet train that will travel up to 380 kilometers per hour (kph) is now under development for the high-speed rail link.

It will be rigorously tested this year, and engineers want the train to run at a top speed of 420 kph to guarantee a safe operational speed of 380 kph, Huang Qiang, chief researcher with the China Academy of Railway Sciences told the Beijing News.

Vice-Minister Wang Zhiguo said it was expected that high-speed trains would one day take passengers from Beijing to most capital cities within eight hours, except for Haikou, Urumqi, Lhasa and Taipei.

It is expected that an 110,000-km railway network will be completed by 2012, including 13,000 km of high-speed rail, he said.

China already has 6,552 km of rail track in operation - the longest amount of high-speed rail track in the world.

The ministry wants to export China's high-speed railway technology to North America, Europe and Latin America.

Wang said State-owned Chinese companies are already building high-speed lines in Turkey and Venezuela.

Many countries, including the United States, Russia, Brazil and Saudi Arabia, have also expressed interest.

"China is willing to share its mature and advanced technology with other countries to promote development of the world's high-speed railways," he said.

The ministry has signed cooperation memos with California in the United States, as well as Russia and Brazil.

"We are organizing relevant companies to participate in bidding for US high-speed railways and prepare for bidding on a line in Brazil linking Rio de Janeiro with Sao Paulo," the vice-minister said.

The ministry introduced high-speed train technologies from France, Germany and Japan, while at the same time made its own innovations. It now owns 940 patents concerning high-speed railways, the ministry's chief engineer He Huawu said.

At present, at least 10,000 km of high-speed rail line is under construction in China. About 3,676 km of new track for running trains at speeds up to 350 kph have already been laid and put into operation. Another 2,876 km of old tracks have been upgraded to run trains of 200 to 250 kph.

Ultimately, China plans to construct a 120,000-km railway network, including 50,000-km of high-speed rail track, by 2020."


Notice the orange juice and upright cigarette tests on China's 350 kph high-speed train.

 

[Martian2]

High Speed Rail on Track to Reap Hefty Funds, But Faces Hurdles: Cleantech News «

"High Speed Rail on Track to Reap Hefty Funds, But Faces Hurdles
By Josie Garthwaite Jun. 21, 2010, 3:30pm PDT

A “palpable excitement” — that’s how the investigative arm of Congress describes the aura created by the allocation of federal funds for new high speed rail service in the U.S under last year’s Recovery Act. But this buzz and an unprecedented gush of federal investment will carry efforts to establish intercity passenger rail service only so far.

The Government Accountability Office, or GAO, notes in a new report that the success of this “difficult, multiyear effort” will hinge on a host of other factors, including the availability of state and federal funds “to build and operate systems that go far beyond the funds provided by the Recovery Act,” the ability of states to work together on interstate lines, and the cooperation of private railroads.

The challenge of building infrastructure across state lines has cropped up for greentech efforts beyond the transportation sector. For example, despite widespread recognition that the U.S. power grid is overdue for an upgrade, transmission lines are in many cases being built at a slow pace partly because of issues with conflicting state regulations.

According to the GAO, 37 states and the District of Columbia submitted 259 applications requesting a total of around $57 billion under the $8 billion in stimulus funds made available for new passenger rail corridors or improvements to existing rail service. Earlier this year the Federal Railroad Administration announced plans to award the $8 billion to 62 projects in 23 states, plus the District of Columbia.
In total, federal appropriations for high-speed intercity passenger rail has grown to $10.5 billion for the 2010 fiscal year, up from $120 million in the two previous fiscal years combined, according to the GAO report.

Administering these programs will require the FRA to undergo a massive transformation, writes the GAO, shifting from an organization focused primarily on safety to an entity “that can make multibillion dollar investment choices while simultaneously carrying out its safety mission.”

It’s not just states that have perked up at the prospect of federal funds for these transportation projects. The GAO also predicts that federal funds may provide a “catalyst” for many high-speed passenger rail projects and notes that, ”Passenger rail operators and suppliers from around the world are showing interest in making and operating high speed passenger trains for a possible emerging U.S. market.” (Software giants like IBM and Accenture are among the companies that could find opportunities in that market, helping to automate system management to improve efficiency.)

The GAO looked to state passenger rail projects for lessons that can be applied to upcoming initiatives, but when it comes to overseas players in the high-speed rail space, China (slated to spend an estimated $300 billion to build out a 75,000-mile high-speed rail network by 2020) is becoming the 800-pound gorilla. According to a recent report from the Center for American Progress, Chinese rail companies now have 940 registered patents, and in just over a decade it has made the “move from being an importer of high-speed rail technology and operational know-how to being an exporter.”

Photo courtesy IBM"

[Note: Thank you to "gpit" for finding the newslink.]

 

[greenlion]

This photo takes on Huhang PDL on September 14, it shows a CRH380A in a test run at a station

 

[xukxuk]

I agree. I think they probably worked out that there is not much point going beyond 500km/h. Just uneconomical even if it can be done. However not long ago they experimented with jet engine attached to trains to increase it's speed. May be useful for emergency situations.

not sure it can reach 500km/h or not
but one thing for sure
general rule is -10% of top speed when you do a commercial run

so... 380+38 hmm reach 420 for sure

 

[greenlion]

according to Rumors in Chinese forum, the CRH380A-6001 reaches test speed of 440km/h during it's test run at Jiaoji PDL

Official Name of the 380 series decided!

CRH2-380 Series names as CRH380A, Manufacturer by Sifang Locomotive and Rolling Stock
CRH1-380 Series names as CRH380B, Manufacturer by Bombardier Sifang (Qingdao) Transportation Ltd.
CRH3-380 Series names as CRH380C, Manufacturer by Tangshan Railway Vehicle & Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., Ltd

the MOR of China had ordered 140 CRH380A trains, 80 CRH380B trains and 240 CRH380C trains, firstly 40 CRH380A & 11 CRH380C trains will come into service in Jinghu PDL. these trains are designed for the Beijing-Shanghai PDL and other newcomer 350km/h lines, but rumor says CRH380A will come into service at the Shanghai-Hangzhou PDL which is set to open at October 1, 2010 as it's first Carry Passenger operating, in other hand, the CRH380B, which is a Bombardier design, will come into service at 2012.

at 350km/h level trains, the MOR had offered 60 CRH3C trains,

at 300 km/h level, the MOR had offered 60 CRH2C trains

at 250km/h level, the MOR offered 320 trains in total, 120 CRH1A, CRH1B & CRH1E, 110 CRH2A,CRH2B & CRH2E, 90 CRH5A

Chinese MOR CRH trains order timetable

Date         Factory                  Class     Type    Quantity       Amount
2004-10-10   Alstom & CNR Changchun  250km/h   CRH5A      60       620 million ERU
2004-10-12   Bombadier & BST         250km/h   CRH1A      20       350 million USD
2004-10-12   Kawasaki  & CSR Sifang  250km/h   CRH2A      60     9,300 million RMB
2005-05-31   Bombadier & BST         250km/h   CRH1A      20       350 million USD
Jun 2005     CSR Sifang              300km/h   CRH2C      60     8,200 million RMB
Nov 2005     Siemens & CNR Tangshan  350km/h   CRH3C      60    13,000 million RMB
2007-10-31   BST                     250km/h   CRH1B & 1E 20+20  1,000 million ERU
Nov 2007     CSR Sifang              250km/h   CRH2B      10     1,200 million RMB
Nov 2007     CSR Sifang              250km/h   CRH2E       6       900 million RMB
Dec 2008     CSR Sifang              250km/h   CRH2E      14     2,100 million RMB
Jun 2009     CNR Changchun           250km/h   CRH5A      30     4,800 million RMB
2009-03-16   CNR Tangshan            380km/h   CRH380C    70    27,440 million RMB
2009-03-16   CNR Changchun           380km/h   CRH380C    30    11,760 million RMB
2009-09-28   CSR Sifang              380km/h   CRH380A   140    45,000 million RMB
2009-09-28   Bombadier & BST         380km/h   CRH380B    80    27,400 million RMB
2009-09-28   CNR Changchun           380km/h   CRH380C   120    23,500 million RMB
2009-09-28   CNR Tangshan            380km/h   CRH380C    20     3,920 million RMB
2010-07-16   BST                     250km/h   CRH1A      40     5,200 million RMB
2010-09-14   CSR Sifang              250km/h   CRH2A      20     3,400 million RMB

 

[CardSharp]

Date         Factory                  Class     Type    Quantity       Amount
2004-10-10   Alstom & CNR Changchun  250km/h   CRH5A      60       620 million ERU
2004-10-12   [B][COLOR="Red"][U]Bombadier & BST[/U][/COLOR][/B]         250km/h   CRH1A      20       350 million USD
2004-10-12   Kawasaki  & CSR Sifang  250km/h   CRH2A      60     9,300 million RMB
2005-05-31   [B][COLOR="Red"][U]Bombadier & BST[/U][/COLOR][/B]         250km/h   CRH1A      20       350 million USD
Jun 2005     CSR Sifang              300km/h   CRH2C      60     8,200 million RMB
Nov 2005     Siemens & CNR Tangshan  350km/h   CRH3C      60    13,000 million RMB
2007-10-31   BST                     250km/h   CRH1B & 1E 20+20  1,000 million ERU
Nov 2007     CSR Sifang              250km/h   CRH2B      10     1,200 million RMB
Nov 2007     CSR Sifang              250km/h   CRH2E       6       900 million RMB
Dec 2008     CSR Sifang              250km/h   CRH2E      14     2,100 million RMB
Jun 2009     CNR Changchun           250km/h   CRH5A      30     4,800 million RMB
2009-03-16   CNR Tangshan            380km/h   CRH380C    70    27,440 million RMB
2009-03-16   CNR Changchun           380km/h   CRH380C    30    11,760 million RMB
2009-09-28   CSR Sifang              380km/h   CRH380A   140    45,000 million RMB
2009-09-28   [B][COLOR="Red"][U]Bombadier & BST[/U][/COLOR][/B]         380km/h   CRH380B    80    27,400 million RMB
2009-09-28   CNR Changchun           380km/h   CRH380C   120    23,500 million RMB
2009-09-28   CNR Tangshan            380km/h   CRH380C    20     3,920 million RMB
2010-07-16   BST                     250km/h   CRH1A      40     5,200 million RMB
2010-09-14   CSR Sifang              250km/h   CRH2A      20     3,400 million RMB

Whooo go Canada! but good to see that majority of contracts are going to domestic companies.

 

[Carnivore]

The express run between Nanchang and Jiujiang will officially open tomorrow.

 

[trickster]

Date         Factory                  Class     Type    Quantity       Amount
2004-10-10   Alstom & CNR Changchun  250km/h   CRH5A      60       620 million ERU
2004-10-12   [B][COLOR="Red"][U]Bombadier & BST[/U][/COLOR][/B]         250km/h   CRH1A      20       350 million USD
2004-10-12   Kawasaki  & CSR Sifang  250km/h   CRH2A      60     9,300 million RMB
2005-05-31   [B][COLOR="Red"][U]Bombadier & BST[/U][/COLOR][/B]         250km/h   CRH1A      20       350 million USD
Jun 2005     CSR Sifang              300km/h   CRH2C      60     8,200 million RMB
Nov 2005     Siemens & CNR Tangshan  350km/h   CRH3C      60    13,000 million RMB
2007-10-31   BST                     250km/h   CRH1B & 1E 20+20  1,000 million ERU
Nov 2007     CSR Sifang              250km/h   CRH2B      10     1,200 million RMB
Nov 2007     CSR Sifang              250km/h   CRH2E       6       900 million RMB
Dec 2008     CSR Sifang              250km/h   CRH2E      14     2,100 million RMB
Jun 2009     CNR Changchun           250km/h   CRH5A      30     4,800 million RMB
2009-03-16   CNR Tangshan            380km/h   CRH380C    70    27,440 million RMB
2009-03-16   CNR Changchun           380km/h   CRH380C    30    11,760 million RMB
2009-09-28   CSR Sifang              380km/h   CRH380A   140    45,000 million RMB
2009-09-28   [B][COLOR="Red"][U]Bombadier & BST[/U][/COLOR][/B]         380km/h   CRH380B    80    27,400 million RMB
2009-09-28   CNR Changchun           380km/h   CRH380C   120    23,500 million RMB
2009-09-28   CNR Tangshan            380km/h   CRH380C    20     3,920 million RMB
2010-07-16   BST                     250km/h   CRH1A      40     5,200 million RMB
2010-09-14   CSR Sifang              250km/h   CRH2A      20     3,400 million RMB

Whooo go Canada! but good to see that majority of contracts are going to domestic companies.

Hmm, since China has the technology why bother giving the work to Bombadier? Aren't domestically built ones more cheaper?

News articles states that China exporting its HS trains overseas are complete copies of other countries, but China states that they have improved on the technology.

No offence but does someone knows what are the improvements? As I do note that China had secure 940 patents regarding its HS trains. What are the patents?

Thanks

 

[CardSharp]

Hmm, since China has the technology why bother giving the work to Bombadier? Aren't domestically built ones more cheaper?

News articles states that China exporting its HS trains overseas are complete copies of other countries, but China states that they have improved on the technology.

No offence but does someone knows what are the improvements? As I do note that China had secure 940 patents regarding its HS trains. What are the patents?

Thanks

I am not privy to the technical of the deal but your objection is odd, since Bombadier's biggest customer is the US. By your logic, the US would have no need of Bombadier's services because they surely possess the same technology.

 

[somebozo]

Chinese trains are developed in close colaboration with Japanese, US and EU train makers. So in essence they are a mix of various tech and because Chinese funded the development they have the right to resell which they can at what ever price they wish, even cheaper for competition sake. That does not make them copies.

I think trains are gaining momentum for both passenger and cargo around Asia and middle-east due to rising security cost of airways and heavy initial investment.

China is building rail network to connect sevral Asian and central asian countries. Pak-Turk-Iran rail line is soon to expand in europe making it trans-continental.

 

[greenlion]

Hmm, since China has the technology why bother giving the work to Bombadier? Aren't domestically built ones more cheaper?

News articles states that China exporting its HS trains overseas are complete copies of other countries, but China states that they have improved on the technology.

No offence but does someone knows what are the improvements? As I do note that China had secure 940 patents regarding its HS trains. What are the patents?

Thanks

actually BST stands for Bombardier Sifang (Qingdao) Transportation Ltd. which is a a Chinese-Canadian joint venture between Bombardier and Sifang.

 

[CardSharp]

actually BST stands for Bombardier Sifang (Qingdao) Transportation Ltd. which is a a Chinese-Canadian joint venture between Bombardier and Sifang.

Awesome! A joint Canadian-China enterprise!