Texas rep asks for Japan and Korea's help in building high speed rail in TX

[Korean]

Asia could help bring high-speed train to Houston - Houston Business Journal

Asia could help bring high-speed train to Houston
Houston Business Journal
Date: Friday, April 6, 2012, 8:30am CDT - Last Modified: Friday, April 6, 2012, 8:35am CDT

Houston-area Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee is voicing her support for a high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas — and she says officials in Japan and South Korea are, too.

During her visit to Japan, South Korea and China, the Houston Democrat met with officials and took Japan's high-speed rail system between Osaka and Tokyo, the Houston Chronicle reports.

A statement issued by her office stated Japanese and South Korean representatives "expressed interest in supporting and providing high-speed rail in the state of Texas." She is looking to bring those officials to Houston to see Texas first-hand.

“This is absolutely the right direction America should be moving toward,” Lee said in the statement. “We should be looking at high-speed rail that can provide clean, safe and efficient transportation that can move people from one destination to another."

The rail line would not require the government to invoke invoke eminent domain, Lee told the Chronicle.

Seems that China's not invited in Texas High Speed Rail project, only Japanese and Korean companies.

 

[SinoChallenger]

LOL Korea doesn't even have high speed rail. USA is just trying to rip off some Asians for money -- good thing they choose their colonial dependents to victimize.

 

[ChineseTiger1986]

Both Japan and SK are the colony of USA, so they should allow their American daddy to milk them more.

 

[Raphael]

Yes that right, if you keep posting news about Korea, people will think you're Korean

 

[parkland]

how hard it is for america to build its own train??? wtf why need japanese help when they can build iss, space shuttle, raptor etc etc, but not a train that goes at 250 km/hr.

 

[ephone]

Texas asks japs, I understand. s.k??? Does s.k. have one high-speed railway yet??? If Texas does not want China's influence, at least try Germany and France.

Asia could help bring high-speed train to Houston - Houston Business Journal


Seems that China's not invited in Texas High Speed Rail project, only Japanese and Korean companies.

 

[Korean]

USA is just trying to rip off some Asians for money -- good thing they choose their colonial dependents to victimize.

China is free to invest money in US HSR projects, but not seek contracts in return.

The reason California and Texas state governments are negotiating with Japan and Korea is to secure their long-term construction loans in exchange for buying either Japanese or Korean bullet trains and associated signaling/maintenance equipment.

The reason Texas's not negotiating with China is because they won't buy Chinese equipment due to legality/safety concerns.

how hard it is for america to build its own train???

Selling the newly developed train model in the US won't recoup development cost; it must be exported so it doesn't make a financial sense. This is why California and Texas are looking to buy foreign bullet trains.

wtf why need japanese help when they can build iss, space shuttle, raptor etc etc, but not a train that goes at 250 km/hr.

The US railway technology is 40 years behind Europe, Japan, and Korea. And these US states are calling for 350 km/hr trains, not 250 km/hr ones.

 

[Korean]

Texas asks japs, I understand. s.k???

The negotiation with Japan must not have been going though well due to the current financial difficulties at Japanese government.

Unlike the California's "blended" HSR system which can run only Alstom and Hyundai Rotem bullet trains due to the crash test requirements, the Texas HSR system is a "closed" HSR system where the crash test doesn't apply and which favors lighter Japanese Shinkansens over Korea's heavier trains. If Texas is soliciting Korean government to bid on Texas HSR project, then this is definitely a sign of financial trouble on Japan's part, likely caused by the Fukushima disaster.

If Texas does not want China's influence, at least try Germany and France.

Their governments won't fund construction.

 

[gambit]

how hard it is for america to build its own train??? wtf why need japanese help when they can build iss, space shuttle, raptor etc etc, but not a train that goes at 250 km/hr.

Why not? Expertise is valuable no matter the national origin.

 

[rashtriya.rifles]

Japs are much more reliable when it comes to following safety norms... also they(workers) won't spy around.

 

[ephone]

For such high tech constructions, workers won't spy for any valuable information. You need seasoned engineers and scientists to spy for valuation information.

How much do normal workers understand such complex information though???

Japs are much more reliable when it comes to following safety norms... also they(workers) won't spy around.

 

[Korean]

For such high tech constructions, workers won't spy for any valuable information. You need seasoned engineers and scientists to spy for valuation information.

The reason US officials shun Chinese bidders in spite of China's aggressive 100% financing offer is because of safety and the probable lawsuits from Kawasaki who licensed the tech to the Chinese under the condition that the product would not be exported. Kawasaki made that clear with the US officials during their marketing effort of Shinkansen trains. Before the Wenzhou crash and the problems with unsafe viaduct construction surfaced in China, the US officials were enthusiastic about the Chinese bids.

It has nothing to do with spying as the high speed rail is a civilian project open to Chinese bidders assuming all the safety and intellectual property requirements are met.

How much do normal workers understand such complex information though???

Field workers would be American.

 

[Sonyuke_Songpaisan]

Asia could help bring high-speed train to Houston - Houston Business Journal


Seems that China's not invited in Texas High Speed Rail project, only Japanese and Korean companies.

i understand your feeling. when your master gives you a piece of meat, you should feel proud.

 

[GCTom]

If the Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee thinks South Korea or Japan can do a better job and give better value for their money for the job then by all mean and have one of the company from those country to build their HighSpeed railway.

But from reading the article, it doesn't even say any Chinese company representatives was even interested in building the Railway? *shrug*

 

[Korean]

If the Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee thinks South Korea or Japan can do a better job and give better value for their money for the job

Europeans companies are not being asked for the job because the European governments aren't willing to finance US HSR projects, even if Alstom and Siemens are more than qualified for the job.

But from reading the article, it doesn't even say any Chinese company representatives was even interested in building the Railway? *shrug*

Shelia Jackson never asked the Chinese to bid on the Texas HSR project, even though China is the only country with a 100% financing offer. The ones that Shelia asked to bid were offering $10~15 billion loans at most.

So both California and Texas are left with Japanese and Korean bidders because only the Japanese and Korean bidders are qualified, and only their governments are willing to finance.