Reading through my copy of Shanghai Daily this morning I came across
this story whereby they are slowing down the HSR.
Bullet trains to be slowed down
CHINA is putting the brakes on its bullet trains following complaints that the system is dangerously fast and too expensive.
The fastest routes will be cut from 350kph to 300kph as of July 1, Railway Minister Sheng Guangzu told the People's Daily.
So at 300kph, it will no longer be dangerously fast, just fast? 14.3% less dangerous? Too funny.
They are just acknowledging the fact that they picked up stuff from Siemens and others that are designed and validated currently for 300-320kph and without adequate testing and validation launched them at 350kph. There was considerable discussion of the cavalier attitude with which they went about it. Well, the over-reaching minister has been dethroned and a more level headed guy has come in and decided to proceed more prudently.
It is another related matter that they have been discovering some areas where construction has been substandard, causing things to - well not be the way they need to be - for operating near the edge of viability. In the face of those track maintenance is proving to be way more expensive than they had imagined, is one thing that I have been hearing.
I think eventually they will do fine at reasonable speeds, which are still going to be way faster than anything we will have in 5 years at the rate we are going.