Father or Foe of China high-speed rail

Liu Zhijun China’s railways minister 2003-2011

Mr. Lui known as the father of high-speed railway, due to his remarkable contribution in railway in China has been removed from his post and is now under investigation. Something to think about is how the father of high-speed railway became the foe of people of China.

Mr. Lui succeeded then minister of railway Fu Zhihuan in March 2003.  He had a vision of upgrading the railway system of China to a level no one could match. He aimed to develop China’s railway by large jumps instead of small increments. In small span of time he wanted to give railway in China a whole new dimension. The speed with which the high-speed rail construction took place has overshadowed all such projects in the Unites States. Back in September 2009 the ministry of railway of China announced that the government had planned 42 lines by 2012, with 5,000 miles of track for passenger and fast freight trains that travel at 215 miles per hour. Beside this they also announced 3,000 miles of track for passengers and fast freight train traveling 155 miles per hour. The ministry of railway of China announced such a huge project to be finished in 3-4 years, which would take double the time in the United States. It is common sense to know that if a project this huge would take such little time there would be some glitches.

Ren Xianfeng, a senior analyst interviewing for the Telegraph said that China has been building too quickly. She also said that investment has increased 10 times which is simply unsustainable. She added that with this high-speed construction, there are a couple of issues. First is the quality of the project; the second thing is corruption.

Little did the people of China now that the glitch they were suspecting would cost them lives of 40 of their fellow people.  On 23^rd July there was a collision of high-speed train in Wenzhou, knocking carriages from 60 foot and killing 40 people and injuring 210. Details about the crash can be read in our previous blog. The high-speed rail that was supposed to be the gleaming testament to the country’s progress is now symbol of much that’s wrong with high- speed development. The huge step towards progress is now being questioned for the safety of Chinese.

Beside the collision during the construction many people faced problems. Specially the ones living to close to the new building rails. People had to evacuate their houses just to make way for the tracks. Many people in this process lost their homes, which they could afford after working very hard for years.  This shows that the progress valued more than the people living in China. People are questioning the government how they could give permission for these tracks to be built over residential areas. All of this clearly shows the huge role of corruption that has been played while building these rails.

After the collision Mr. Lui was removed from the post in the ministry after being accused of corruption. Mr. Lui has been put under investigation, being the most senior Chinese official to ever come under such an investigation in years. There have been no details given on exact infringements. Along with Mr. Lui his brother has also been suspended death sentence by court for hiring people to kill a man who had revealed that he is a corrupt official.

All this shows that the roaring development of Chinese high-speed rail came with a lot of problems. China’s corrupt government officials were just thinking about the development and personal benefits rather than the safety of the people who would use these trains. Mr. Lui who was called the father of high-speed rail proved to be nothing but a foe to the Chinese. Not worrying about who will suffer the consequences and keeping his personal motives before the well being of its nation. Many officials have been charged for corruption, which still doesn’t make an end to the problems in Chinese government. This was just a heads up for China to be more careful in the future,  and to slow down its hasty development which comes with more problems than benefits. 

Need for Speed?

Background of Chinese High-Speed Train System

China has developed the fastest running rail system in the world to transport people around the extensive territory of their country. The high-speed train system refers to China's trains that average a speed of 200km/h (124 mph) or higher. It consists of thousands of miles in railway that carries millions of Chinese citizens to their destinations, in faster than ever times. 

I never imagined train systems reaching speeds this high! It could take me an hour or less to arrive in New York City from my home in Maryland if this system were placed in the United States. I wonder if other countries will adopt this transportation system? In a world where people are more and more impatient to get to places faster, and time is money, this emerging technology sounds promising; but does this feat also carry some risks and complications?

Issues With High-Speed Trains

The rail system in China reaches maximum speeds of 380km/h (240 mph), but there has been concern regarding the safety of this extreme speed. Also, China has been building tracks and faster trains at an alarming rate. Their new railway system has rapidly grown without signs of slowing down. This sounds positive, but there has been a back and forth debate between customers and the Ministry of Railways on how fast the trains should run. 

Higher speeds involve wear and tear on the track and machinery causing deficiencies, while also raising energy usage. Furthermore, faster trains are more expensive. The Ministry of Railways has lowered the speed in some areas so it could attract more riders, because the faster the train travels, the higher the price for tickets. Many of these train lines have also lowered prices in order to lure customers. Railway profits were decreasing because customers were opting to return to the more traditional mode of high-speed travel, the airplane. Though it is the case, I never thought railways would be snatching airline revenues for long distance travels. 

Unlike plane travel, staring out the window in the high-speed train must be marvelous, getting to see how fast you are moving in comparison to inert objects. I can picture homes and trees flashing by instantly. However, it would be a little frightening moving this fast on a rail-system especially around turns. It seems inevitable that the rail-system will experience mechanical problems with trains going around 200 mph. 

Safety Matters

If defects or accidents occur during one of these train rides, you can probably imagine the outcome. These trains do not even contain safety belts, so that's one issue right there. The country of China has witnessed some minor defects, but none like the breath-taking collision on July 23, 2011 in the Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province. Several carriages derailed killing 40 passengers, hospitalizing 192, and seriously injuring 12. This accident killed Chinese citizens as well as foreigners. 

Here is an exceptional clip, capturing the collision on July 23, 2011

The accident at Wenzhou caused a public uproar and made many question the safety of China's high-speed rail system. This was undoubtedly a sad and embarrassing day for the nation of China. One of their most prized accomplishments failed, making national news, and damaging the reputation of their newly designed transportation system. As a result, there was a severe drop in confidence and sales for the rail system, causing the Ministry of Railways to further drop prices and speed for the ride.

Who to Blame?

Some say the accident was just coincidental and that something like this rarely ever happens. Believers in the high-speed rail system say it is a fairly new system that was likely to experience some sort of accident from which the Chinese technologists could learn. However, I have a different view.

Everyone knows China is drastically amplifying their economic growth. They are just building and building, sometimes for no apparent reason. For example, the Chinese have built ghost towns because no one will buy their vast amount of apartment buildings. Don't get me wrong, the creation of infrastructures is a good thing, but I think China should slow down. I think the lack of time and strategy in their building process had an effect on this collision and other unsuccessful constructions throughout China. The Chinese should have tested their railway tracks more sufficiently and repeatedly, rather than just quickly implementing new technology. The high-speed rail system is a new emerging system in China helping many people travel quicker, but there is no need to rush it.

While there is a demand to get to places faster, there is no need to speed through the development and implementation of such a high-speed mode of transportation. Taking safety precautions and understanding repercussions are extremely important before architecting and applying things to the world. This high-speed rail system will one day be seen in many other countries, but should not be employed until all dangers are completely minimized.

By: Eric Hickman

Speed Up!

Sustaining life in the largest country in the world requires speed, efficiency, and up-to-date technology. Imagine if China had none of these things. Would it be able to continue to produce record amounts of exports and handle over a million people? Definitely not. 

As the largest country in Asia, China has a wide amount of territory to be covered. Traveling efficiently is important in such a large country as China. No one wants to spend days traveling just to get to another part of their country. 


Getting Around China

Over the past decade, movement in and around the country has been made much easier thanks to China’s high-speed train. As the fastest train in the world, the Chinese are able to travel quicker on land than any other population in the world.

In modern times, traveling by train has always been a popular and convenient way to get from one place to the next. Especially in China, where there is a large amount of ground to travel, taking the train makes sense economically and comfort-wise. However, the railroad system was steadily losing business to air travel. Airlines were not giving profits to the Chinese local and national government so they figured they needed a way to stop losing money and regain profits from their citizens traveling.

China’s train wasn’t always the fastest in the world. The most popular train that traveled through China was fast, similar to the Amtrak or MARC train. But this wasn’t fast enough. With increasing technology resources and innovations, the Chinese wanted to make their train even faster and even more efficient. 

How Did They Do It?


Every plan of action has to start somewhere. China’s first step in building the fastest train in the world was to initiate the “Speed Up” campaign. This was not your typical campaign full of propaganda, but rather a plan of ways to improve the railroad system to make it even faster and more efficient. “Speed Up” began in 1997 and lasted 10 years until 2007. The “Speed Up” campaign had six steps to achieve its goal.

1. Double tracking - Double tracking means to build two tracks, one running in either direction to avoid delays based on trains needing to go in different directions.
2. Electrification - The most expensive step, electrification is a way to power the train cars using electricity. Electric power allows the trains to accelerate faster and carry less weight. 
3. Decreasing slope - By building bridges and tunnels, the Chinese were able to decrease the slope of which trains had to climb, causing the trains to slow down. 
4. Reducing curve angles - Similar to the third step, the curvature of turns in the train track system were made less to increase speed. 
5. Continuous welding of the train tracks - All the train tracks were welded together so that trains are able to move more smoothly and continuously along the tracks.
6. Separating cargo train and passenger train tracks - Having a clear separation of tracks that are solely for cargo trains and passenger trains reduces delays caused by the different speeds of the different types of trains. 

A World Forever Changed


“Speed Up” significantly changed the Chinese high-speed rail system. Over the course of ten years and with the help of the six steps, the trains increased from 30mph to 100mph. Clearly this was a huge change. I mean can you imagine the time saved for travelers and commuters? Train riders saved time and were able travel farther in less time. “Speed Up” helped to generate more revenue for the Chinese government just because of six steps. Even though it took ten years, the time it took to implement these steps was well worth it. 

The “Speed Up” campaign forever changed transportation. It helped to jump start the innovation and creation of the fastest train in the world. Who knows where the Chinese railway would be right now if it hadn’t been for the “Speed Up” campaign. This is one of the least known but most successful campaigns in the world of technology. The Chinese responded enthusiastically to this campaign and look what it produced! The “Speed Up” campaign led to so many more inventions and ideas that have been put into production and are still being produced at this time. 

“Speed Up” not only sped up the Chinese railway system but also the transportation and technology industry!