China to open world's longest high speed rail

[Graham]

Running at 350km/h.


A high speed train bound for Guangzhou pulls out of Beijing West Railway Station for a trial run on December 22, 2012. The new Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed rail, to be started operation on Wednesday, links major Chinese cities including Shijiazhuang of North China's Hebei province, Zhengzhou of Central China's Henan province, Wuhan of central China's Hubei province and Changsha of Central China's Hunan province. The 2,298-kilometer high speed rail, known as the world's longest of this kind, will connect the capital city in the north and the southern economic hub with an eight-hour one-way drive.
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A reporter takes photos in a high speed train bound for Guangzhou during a trial run December 22, 2012. The 2,298-kilometer high rail will start operation on Wednesday
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A report imitates "Carrier Style", the gesture crew members use to direct the take-off and landing of a J-15 fighter jet on China's first aircraft carrier beside a high speed train bound for Guangzhou during a trial run December 22, 2012. The 2,298-kilometer high rail will start operation on Wednesday
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A stewardess on a high speed train bound for Guangzhou during a trial run December 22, 2012. The 2,298-kilometer high rail will start operation on Wednesday
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Stewards serve coffee in a high speed train bound for Guangzhou during a trial run December 22, 2012. The 2,298-kilometer high rail will start operation on Wednesday
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A stewardess adjusts seats in a high speed train bound for Guangzhou during a trial run December 22, 2012. The 2,298-kilometer high rail will start operation on Wednesday.

Gra.

 

[froggy Steve]

gosh, its very 'pointy' Wouldnt mind a ride on that

Steve

 

[BobMurphy]

Geeeee, its averaging 179.53 mph over eight hours.

That is impressive.

London to Edinburgh in 2.5 hours anyone??

I wonder what ticket prices are like.

Bob.

 

[Graham]

The ticket prices are about £70

Gra.

 

[Rob]

Lets hope they built the bridges properly

 

[adrianr]

great looking train and cheap ticket too!!

 

[Crushers]

the Chinese are definately getting their act together ...
impressive.

<i wonder what it is like to live in China these days...>

 

[Graham]

the Chinese are definately getting their act together ...
impressive.

<i wonder what it is like to live in China these days...>

.
Hi Crusher,

Time for a visit?

Life is good !
I am in no rush to head back to Blighty, put it that way.

Quite an amazing place.
When the Chinese say "Where going to make some thing, or going to do some thing", they pull out all the stops, and get it done.
Sure, it is easy when you have money to undertake such mammoth projects.
Similar to the rail link from Beijing to Lhasa, in Tibet.
Pressurised train carriages, etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qinghai–Tibet_Railway

Gra.

 

[ram]

money and POWER since they don't have to make a democratic desicion to pass any laws or pay anybody to make way for planing or any thing like that yes they would get it done quicker.

 

[Graham]

money and POWER since they don't have to make a democratic desicion to pass any laws or pay anybody to make way for planing or any thing like that yes they would get it done quicker.

.
Actually Ram, they do make democratic decision.
However the decision are in the good of the country first.
It's not a case of two steps forward, and one step back, like other countries.
It's a case of "we need a rail link from "A" to "B"
Now here is the money, go and build it.
Perhaps a single forward thinking government is right, ?

Gra.

 

[Rob]

.It's a case of "we need a rail link from "A" to "B"
Now here is the money, go and build it.
Perhaps a single forward thinking government is right, ?

Does not sound democratic to me.

 

[Graham]

Good luck with HS2 then.

Time Line

High Speed Rail: the timeline

Spring 2012	Government receives HS2 Ltd advice on phase 2 route options
Spring 2012	Engagement programme along phase 1 route on Environmental Impact Assessment issues
After Summer recess in September 2012	Consultation with statutory bodies on the safeguarding zone for phase 1
After Summer recess in September 2012	Public consultation on Property compensation proposals
Early 2013	Engagement programme on phase 2 initial preferred route
Spring 2013	Consultation on draft Environmental Statement for phase 1 including design refinements
End of 2013	Introduction of a hybrid bill to provide necessary powers to construct and operate phase 1 of the railway
Early 2014	Consultation on preferred route for phase 2
Late 2014	Government’s announcement of the chosen route for phase 2
2015	Target date for Royal Assent for the Hybrid Bill, containing legal powers to construct HS2
2017 - 2025	Construction period (starts and ends at different times and at different points along the route)
2024 - 2026	Commissioning and testing
2026	Phase 1 line opens to passengers

2026 eh? OK, as you were.

Gra

 

[Rob]

Not saying that one is better than the other Graham, I just don't understand how a "single forward thinking government" can be democratic.

 

[ram]

Sounds like the good old days when the 5% decided for the 95% but in case of china it's not even 5% it's party elite.

 

[Graham]

I take on board the criticism regarding a 1 party government.
Perhaps China has it wrong, I never considered that.
Perhaps UK, USA, Spain, et al all have it right.

6 million jobs

Snip,<Wang calculates that a 600-billion-yuan ($96 billion) annual investment on railway construction could generate 3,000 kilometers of railway a year, which in turn could raise the country's annual GDP growth by 1.5 percentage points, and create more than 6 million jobs.>
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