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China tests first ever high-speed alpine train

By Jenny Wilson | October 9, 2012, 7:21 PM PDT

Image via Flickr / ANR2008

After a fatal train crash a year ago, China backed off on high-speed rail projects. But they’ve renewed enthusiasm and commitment and on Monday began testing the world’s first alpine high-speed train, which can maintain speeds amidst frozen temperatures.

The CRH380B bullet train not only cuts travel time across the 570 miles between Harbin and Dalian from nine hours to four, but can do so in temperature ranges of -40 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. According to chief engineer Zhang Xize, this is a particularly difficult feat because “ice could disrupt the train’s power supply and signals system” but, “every possible safety measure” is in place to ensure another crash does not occur, like added facilities along the tracks that will remove snow and ice to protect the power.

Though China has approached high speed rail projects with caution since last year’s crash, the economic benefits of such projects–which will boost both the industrial and tourism sectors–led them to reinvest in high-speed rail travel.

[via IBTimes, Telegraph]

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About Jenny Wilson

Jenny Wilson was a contributing editor for SmartPlanet from 2011 to 2012.

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On the other hand,

if that 'overhead bus' concept were used as a kind of two-ended trolly system on fixed tracks, it could be extremely functional for moving large numbers of people over limited distances--like a two-mile main-street route. If such a rig could carry pedestrians faster than walking and possible faster than wheeled traffic (typical daytime traffic jams) then an ability to carry 500 or so passengers to--let's say four stops each way--the other end on a 20-minute schedule is of great benefit to the city and its citizens.

Posted by DWFields

28th Dec

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More like this, please

High Speed Trains only succeed when there is a strategy in place to future-proof the country in terms of distributed MEDIUM size cities, robust public transportation within the cities, and all manner of orchestrated common sense across the twelve core policy areas from agriculture to water. I've been the best ideas I have been able to collect from thousands of people at two places: http://bigbatusa.org (US oriented), and http://www.phibeteaiota.net (world oriented). VERY interested in more articles on high speed rail, but with all the attendant context.

Posted by Robert Davud STEELE Vivas

10th Oct

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China leapfrogs normal phases

As a European, I love having been raised with fast trains but also recognized how long it took the continent to get to where it is. In China's case, it seems like a lot pole vaulting jumping to catch up to eventual infrastructures it hasn't fully developed. Although I'm happy to see the country jump start its infrastructure, I'm wondering how they are going about it. They're not following the tried and true steps of roads first, then highways, the rails and flight lines. It almost seems like a Hodge-podge of everything at the same time. It looks as if they don't have any comprehensive infrastructure development and are hitting left and right, with no unifying vision... or at least on the surface.

Posted by 33Nick

10th Oct

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Sure... So?

This is normal, when the lessons of a long development path can be short-circuited by those who already know the end of a particular technological development chain.

Rather than building the roads first, then waiting until those arteries are full-to-bursting, before considering their next steps, Chinese leaders have taken the hard lessons of the West into their first consideration. Hence their early development of "stealth" fighter jets and high-speed trains (we leave aside, for the moment, where they might have GOTTEN some of those technologies).

In truth, while Europe's roads provided the routes for transport of the materials and skill needed for their high-speed trains, there are in fact MANY ways of effectively moving items and workers for such a project, including by air.

This said, China does have one glaring handicap in the way of effective modernization. They are a new country full of imagining minds, many of whom are new to technology. This leads to the fertile imagination of many new systems that have overriding problems, and will NEVER be built because of them -- such as the road-straddling bus that was presented as a future transportation option a couple of years ago. Mass casualties would have attended the first accidents involving such a vehicle, and it now appears that those in charge may have (thankfully) thought twice concerning it.

Posted by Lightning Joe

13th Oct

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On the other hand,

Posted by DWFields

28th Dec

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You must realize that for the US to offer the same kind of high-speed rail

... the US would have to put out the same kind of money--hundreds of billions of dollars to build exclusive rights of way. One possibility might be to 'piggyback' on other Class I railroads' rights of way either widening them for a protected track or perhaps elevating over the freight lines to eliminate all interference with slower trains.

The only way the Class Is would even consider passenger rail themselves is if they could guarantee higher profits by giving those 'Limiteds' priority. It costs them money every time they have to stop a through freight for opposing traffic and there are very few places overall where they run double- or triple-tracked over any distance.

Posted by DWFields

28th Dec

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