TotallyOz Posted July 13, 2011 Posted July 13, 2011 The ultra-modern, best of the best, spickity span high-tech Shanghai-Beijing Bullet train is now once again mired in controversy. Within only two weeks of service, the fast rail has already been marred by numerous glitches. On Tuesday, a power failure stranded 30 trains and hundreds of passengers for over two hours. This is the second time a power malfunction has occurred to the bullet trains in just three days. http://shanghaiist.com/2011/07/13/shanghai-beijing_fast_train_undergo.php Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted July 13, 2011 Posted July 13, 2011 Given that the prestige Shanghai-Beijing line had to be ready for the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party, I tend to agree with the professor who said that such malfunctions will reduce over time. But against that, can I refer you back to an earlier thread Thailand's New High Speed Rail System http://www.gaythaila...h__1#entry46851 I took the new East Coast high-speed train between Shanghai and Suzhou last August, and it was amazing. However, in the first post on that thread, I quote from an article in Hong Kong's South China Morning Post in which two scientists question the life-span of China's new high-speed railways because of serious concerns about the quality of the materials being used for the foundations. As one said: "Quality problems with Chinese high-speed railways will arise in about five years," he said . . . "Small problems such as occasional cracks and slips that delay trains have already occurred. Big problems . . . will come soon. "When that happens, the miracle of Chinese high-speed rail will be reduced to dust." And presumably the passengers with it. Yikes! Quote
Moses Posted July 13, 2011 Posted July 13, 2011 The ultra-modern, best of the best, spickity span high-tech Shanghai-Beijing Bullet train is now once again mired in controversy. Within only two weeks of service, the fast rail has already been marred by numerous glitches. After opening of BA terminal at London they had even sort luggage manually for 1 week ) Mess was about 2 month... ant this is only "small terminal" in comp. with railroad... Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted July 13, 2011 Posted July 13, 2011 After opening of BA terminal at London they had even sort luggage manually for 1 week ) Mess was about 2 month... ant this is only "small terminal" in comp. with railroad... New airports are a very different kettle of fish! Hong Kong was a disaster area for about a week after opening in 1998. As was Kuala Lumpur and, to a lesser extent, Suvarnabhumi. But Denver holds the record, I believe. United Airlines "revolutionary" computerised automated luggage handling system just never worked. After more than US$200 million was spent on it over 10 years, it was finally abandoned! Quote
Moses Posted July 13, 2011 Posted July 13, 2011 New airports are a very different kettle of fish! exactly! railroad is more complicated than just terminal - coz all controlling systems, all automatic is distributed at big distance... modern power supply systems are very complicated too: it isn't just a power plug and power outlet... chinnese got failure at time of strong light storm and heavy rain, it is normal for first days and even weeks... Quote
Guest Posted July 13, 2011 Posted July 13, 2011 So they've licensed Shinkansen technology for the trains and screwed up the power supply to the system? To be fair, as China's a relative newcomer to high speed rail, a few teething problems are to be expected. After all, we get problems in the west too. Even German engineering was not enough to prevent a major crash, when the wheel on an ICE failed. Quote
Moses Posted July 14, 2011 Posted July 14, 2011 So they've licensed Shinkansen Trains arent Shinkansen - they are: CRH380B & CRH380C - Siemens CRH380D is Bombardier's Zefiro 380 Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted July 14, 2011 Posted July 14, 2011 I think the Maglev between Shanghai's Pudong airport and the Pudong station is also German technology. That hits 430 kms per hour during daylight hours and has been pretty much accident free since it opened 7 years ago. Quote
Moses Posted July 14, 2011 Posted July 14, 2011 I think the Maglev between Shanghai's Pudong airport and the Pudong station is also German technology. That hits 430 kms per hour during daylight hours and has been pretty much accident free since it opened 7 years ago. yes, they (track and trains) are Siemens"s technology Quote
Guest Posted July 14, 2011 Posted July 14, 2011 Trains arent Shinkansen - they are: CRH380B & CRH380C - Siemens CRH380D is Bombardier's Zefiro 380 I think you will find they have licensed technology from Germany and Japan. The trains in the photo on the earlier link are obviously Shinkansen. Here's another link. Wiki Just like in Japan. The Maglev is based on German technology. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted July 14, 2011 Posted July 14, 2011 I think you will find they have licensed technology from Germany and Japan. The trains in the photo on the earlier link are obviously Shinkansen. Sorry, but the trains in that photo are definitely not shinkansen! As this section of the wikipedia entry you quote makes clear, the outside of the earlier Chinese trains may look rather like one of the many models of shinkansen trains, but the more recent ones (those used on the Beijing/Shanghai route) are totally different, apart from being roughly similar in the shape of the drivers cars. Starting from 2008, all CRH2 trains were designed and manufactured under key technology developments made by Sifang without Kawasaki. In fact, the vice-chief engineer of Sifang stated that their latest models "have nothing at all to do with Shinkansen" except that they share a similar exterior shape Quote
Moses Posted July 15, 2011 Posted July 15, 2011 I think you will find they have licensed technology from Germany and Japan. they aren't Quote
Guest Posted July 15, 2011 Posted July 15, 2011 Please see photo in your original link: Original Link That train is not the same as the ones posted in your more recent links. The one in the first link is most definitely either a Shinkansen built under license or a knock off using exactly the same external shape. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted July 15, 2011 Posted July 15, 2011 From the wikipedia page in my last post - In fact, the vice-chief engineer of Sifang stated that their latest models "have nothing at all to do with Shinkansen" except that they share a similar exterior shape Quote
Guest Posted July 15, 2011 Posted July 15, 2011 Well, as he says that, it must all be their own IP then.... Not a hint of knocking off imported technology there then. Quote
Moses Posted July 17, 2011 Posted July 17, 2011 Please see photo in your original link: Original Link That train is not the same as the ones posted in your more recent links. The one in the first link is most definitely either a Shinkansen built under license or a knock off using exactly the same external shape. I think it is not very good idea to use links from unofficial sites On photo from your link are trains CRH2 - they are older than new series which were developed for S-B-line. CRH2 are in use as an suburban trains in Shanghai few years already and YES - they have E2-1000 Series Shinkansen as a prototype proof But for B-S-line another series were developed: CRH380B & CRH380C - Siemens proof CRH380D is Bombardier's Zefiro 380 proof In general words: B-S-line has 2 suppliers: CNR Tangshan Railway Vehicle Co. Ltd. - this company has cooperation with Siemens and is manufacturer of CRH3C and CRH380BL (69 trains) proof As well Tangshan Railway Vehicle is manufacturer of Maglev proof The second manufacturer of trains for B-S-line is Changchun Railway Vehicles Company Ltd. - company has a joint venture established with Bombardier Transportation. Besides CRH380D (Bombardier's Zefiro 380) it is supplier for: Beijing Subway Tianjin Metro Shanghai Metro Guangzhou Metro Shenzhen Metro Tehran Metro Hong Kong MTR Bangkok Skytrain Cityrail Supervia Pyongyang Metro Al Mashaaer Al Muqaddassah Metro (mecca Metro) Quote
Guest Posted July 25, 2011 Posted July 25, 2011 Hidden in amongst all the other news, they've had a major fatal train crash in China, although it seems this is not on their latest high speed lines. Crash Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted July 26, 2011 Posted July 26, 2011 I believe this did in fact take place on part of the new bullet train system. There appears to have been a signal failure, or failure of a mechanism to stop a train when the one ahead had been immobilised as a result of a lightning strike. Shoddy workmanship? Perhaps. Certainly, such systems are standard in other high-speed rail systems. Quote
Moses Posted July 26, 2011 Posted July 26, 2011 I believe this did in fact take place on part of the new bullet train system. Wenzhou is about 400 km on South from Shanghai, so crash wasn't on part of "new" system if we will talk about B-S-line. But if we will talk about China railways high-speed system, then yes - it was on it... It is hard not to be on: now CRHSS has 13000 km length. Crashed trains were from joint venture with Bombardier - very first model (2007) Quote
TotallyOz Posted December 26, 2012 Author Posted December 26, 2012 China opens world's longest high-speed rail route! China has officially opened the world's longest high-speed rail route, linking the capital Beijing with the southern commercial hub of Guangzhou. The first bullet train left Beijing on Wednesday morning. Trains will initially travel at 300km/h (187mph), more than halving travel time. A Chinese official has described the route - parts of which were already in operation - as "one of the most technically advanced in the world". The 2,298km route will have 35 stops. They include such major cities as Wuhan and Changsha. The previously 22-hour journey will now take less than 10 hours. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-20842836 Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted December 26, 2012 Posted December 26, 2012 On my first visit from Hong Kong to Beijing, taking a train was no option unless you wanted to spend at least 2 nights/3 days on board. There was also just one flight a day between the cities in each direction on Air China. On that trip, my colleague and I were up at 5:00 pm to catch the 7:40 am flight to HKG. That flight was on a 747 but it had a technical problem. We finally boarded at 10:30 am, and waited and waited. At 11:30 we were offloaded again. There was no bar, cafe or restaurant and since our visas had been cancelled we could not return to the single eatery in the main terminal. So we had to make do with a plastic bag of rice and 2 pieces of pork. The afternoon was pure frustration. Finally, at 6:30 pm another Air China 747 arrived from San Francisco via Shanghai. At 7:30 pm we were loaded on to that. The same crew which had flown from the US took us to HKG. The stewardess told me that they had all been on duty for 17 hours and would not get any rest till the aircraft picked up the passengers in Kong Kong and got back to Beijing about 6 hours later! That was in 1985. Things have certainly changed in China in a very short time! Here's a photo showing how Shanghai's Pudong area changed between 1990 and 2010. Quote
