In transportationt, China is the future. The US is a third world nation

[beijingwalker]

China’s high speed rail is best in the world

By Jim Cameron on November 23, 2012 in Jim Cameron's Talking Transportation, Opinion

Last column I spoke of riding Japan’s Shinkansen, the oldest true high-speed rail (HSR) system in the world. This week, the story of the newest and biggest HSR… China.

Much has been written of the tragic accident in July 2011 when two Chinese trains collided killing 40 and injuring almost 200. A recent New Yorker article detailed the incident as an example of shoddy Chinese engineering and political corruption, which it was.

But that incident notwithstanding, in less than a decade China has built the biggest and best HSR network in the world, and it only cost a quarter trillion dollars. I just had to ride it, and did last month.

Our train from Beijing (population 19 million) to Shanghai (23 million) covered the distance of 819 miles in five hours. That’s an average speed of 164 mph. Even Amtrak’s Acela takes 6 hours and 40 minutes to sprint from DC to Boston, a distance of only 448 miles, or an average speed of less than 70 mph.

Acela carries 300 passengers on one train per hour. The Chinese HSR carries 1,050 passengers per train and offers four to six trains an hour.

Acela rides on improved track on a 100-year-old right-of-way with tracks mounted on ties sitting on rock ballast. The Chinese train rides a dedicated right-of-way with tracks affixed to a cement roadbed, like a highway. The smoothness of the ride was amazing.

This single line between Beijing and Shanghai was estimated to cost $32 billion, but it’s anyone’s guess what the real cost was, given the rampant corruption. But to my Western eyes, it’s amazing what a totalitarian regime can do, unencumbered by environmental impact studies and private property rights. This is truly the best HSR in the world.

While in Shanghai I also rode the world’s only commercial maglev train: not steel wheels on tracks, but a magnetic floating train on a guideway. The line is only 19 miles long, running from the airport to the southern edge of the city. But at full speed of 268 mph (which my run did not achieve) the Shanghai Maglev is the world’s fastest train in regular commercial service… faster even than the Chinese HSR.

Oh, it was fast. But it wasn’t smooth. And running only to the edge of the city and not downtown, it is ridden mostly by tourists and rail fans. The few passengers on our mid-day run were all in the second class cars. Why pay for first class on an 8 minute ride?

The builder, Transrapid, pretty much gave away the construction for just $1 billion, to use the Shanghai system as a showcase of the technology. Though a 34-mile extension from the international airport (Pudong) to the domestic airport (Hongqaio) is planned, that’s about all we can expect.

Maglev is interesting, but its incompatibility with existing tracks and the requirement for its own dedicated, unique tracks make the technology unattractive, especially given the advances in conventional railroading.

What can we in the US learn from China’s great leaps forward in railroading? Not much, aside from what is possible technologically. In this country we have neither the will nor the money to ever build such a railroad.

In transportation at least, China is the future. The US is a third world nation.

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JIM CAMERON has been a commuter out of Darien for 21 years. He is Chairman of the CT Metro-North / Shore Line East Rail Commuter Council, and a member of the Coastal Corridor TIA and the Darien RTM.

 

[kawaraj]

the US is rotting as it patrols the world with its evil gadgets.

 

[eddieInUK]

Its hard to start this massive infrastructure project in democracy USA. A lot of negotiation and unnecessary protest. India sets a good example on this (No offensive on India).

 

[Peregrine]

Shhhhhhh! dont say that you will hurt sentiments of some people..

 

[beijingwalker]

Its hard to start this massive infrastructure project in democracy USA. A lot of negotiation and unnecessary protest. India sets a good example on this (No offensive on India).

they have massive spending in military.

 

[third eye]

Last month while in Shanghai I traveled on the Maglev from Pudong airport to wherever it finishes in the city.

Exhilarating..

 

[beijingwalker]

Last month while in Shanghai I traveled on the Maglev from Pudong airport to wherever it finishes in the city.

Exhilarating..

come to visit Beijing next time and hopefully bring some business here to the city or to me personally

 

[madooxno9]

Its hard to start this massive infrastructure project in democracy USA. A lot of negotiation and unnecessary protest. India sets a good example on this (No offensive on India).

Yes , you are 100% right . To engage and execute such a massive infrastructure you need to acquire land and this process alone in a democracy will takes years and then to build it will again take some time. It not that India can not embark on this journey , sooner or later we will and have to . Its just political reluctance , as i remember correctly India was in talks with Japan and China both to take up this massive project and work together. Engineers were sent to nations operating High speed trains to study the feasibility of such system.

 

[Audio]

lol, no talks about how the CCP had to pour billions into construction just to keep up the appearances of growth since the exports were slumping?

Anyhow, congrats, im sure all new shiny trains do look and drive good.

 

[Götterdämmerung]

Yes , you are 100% right . To engage and execute such a massive infrastructure you need to acquire land and this process alone in a democracy will takes years and then to build it will again take some time. It not that India can not embark on this journey , sooner or later we will and have to . Its just political reluctance , as i remember correctly India was in talks with Japan and China both to take up this massive project and work together. Engineers were sent to nations operating High speed trains to study the feasibility of such system.

The problem in India is that it's already democratic before it became developed. All the developed countries were either authocratic, aristocratic or outright dictatorial, at best it was semi-democratic with very little civil rights when they started to build up their infrastructure.

The first train lines in Germany were built when our regimes were absolutistic, Hitler started massively to expand the autobahn. Napoleon, the self-styled emperor of France was a builder of what we love about Paris, the Haussmann architecture that also influenced all other French and European cities. Much of medieval Paris was destroyed to make way for the grandscale renovation of Paris.

 

[eddieInUK]

The problem in India is that it's already democratic before it became developed. All the developed countries were either authocratic, aristocratic or outright dictatorial, at best it was semi-democratic with very little civil rights when they started to build up their infrastructure.

The first train lines in Germany were built when our regimes were absolutistic, Hitler started massively to expand the autobahn. Napoleon, the self-styled emperor of France was a builder of what we love about Paris, the Haussmann architecture that also influenced all other French and European cities. Much of medieval Paris was destroyed to make way for the grandscale renovation of Paris.

Not only in Europe, in far east all the same. When somebody propose something and propaganda it, you need to think twice, is it really feasible for yourself, do they really wish you well, what can they get if you get developed. If things are opposite, you'd better not go for it.

 

[beijingwalker]

Don't know why every time some people here have to drag out democracy and use it to explain everything,good or bad.

 

[karan21]

Its hard to start this massive infrastructure project in democracy USA. A lot of negotiation and unnecessary protest. India sets a good example on this (No offensive on India).

You are right.

I have no shame in admitting that China has done it. They have indeed built a country from scratch. They are going to be the biggest superpower of the world.

But hold on no matter how much you like to insult India, I can tell you India one day will catch up. India has always been left behind in its entire history even from the smaller countries. During 1950s India produced some 75000 cars and Korea some 30000 cars. In 2000 India was just 1 million while korea had gone upto 3 million. A small nation went from 1/3rd to 3 times production. India in 2012 will overtake SK in over all car production and keep getting ahead in coming years. India is a democracy and we can't work like China, we are slow and inefficient. But we are big in size and progressing, sooner or later we will overtake all other and finally cover the gap with China. India won't fail.

 

[sweetgrape]

The problem in India is that it's already democratic before it became developed.

Can't agree with you more, the democracy will drag india development, for developed countries, they are leader and poineer, but for developing countries, which should be as good follower first, develop fast, catch up with developed countries, make decision as soon as possible.

 

[jhungary]

what have building the railroad have anything to do with Democracy??

In Most city in america, we only use railway for suburban travel or freight, when you go to work in new york city, and you live in Albany or Poughkeepsie, you ride a train. As that's too expansive to park in the City. While you don't need a fast train to do it, as this is not economical.

For intercity travel or inter-state travel, we use commercial airline. There are more regional communter airline than railway company in America....

Why do we need a well placed railway system when we have 10,000 planes in our skies everyday??

This have no relation with democracy, it's just we value aero-transport more than railway, that's all. There were even a call to banish amtrak (The only intercity Railway company) by withdrewing the funding from Congress.