Bullet Train Derails In China

[Richard]

And so it goes...

Richard

Chinese State Media Say Bullet Train Derails
AP, 23 Jul 2011

A bullet train derailed in eastern China on Saturday and two of its carriages fell off a bridge, but there was no immediate word on casualties, state media reported.

The high-speed train was traveling from the Zhejiang provincial capital of Hangzhou when the accident happened in Wenzhou city at about 8:30 p.m. (1230 GMT), the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Rescue personnel rushed to the scene but details on casualties were not immediately known, Xinhua said.

Pictures on the Internet in China showed one carriage on the ground and another standing on its end and leaning against the bridge.

Xinhua did not say what caused the accident.

China has spent billions and plans more massive spending to link the country with a high-speed rail network. Recently, power outages and other malfunctions have plagued the showcase new high-speed line between Beijing and Shanghai since it opened last month.

The train that crashed was a "D'' train, which was the first generation bullet train with an average speed of about 95 miles (150 kilometers) per hour and not as fast at the Beijing-Shanghai line that opened June 30.

Official plans call for China's bullet train network to expand to 8,000 miles (13,000 kilometers) of track this year and 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) by 2020.

The huge spending connected with the rail expansion also has been blamed for corruption, and Railways Minister Liu Zhijun was dismissed this spring amid an investigation into unspecified corruption allegations.

No details have been released about the allegations against him, but news reports say they include kickbacks, bribes, illegal contracts and sexual liaisons.

http://news.yahoo.com/chinese-state-...142304696.html

[tonyz]

BBC online - update
23 July 2011 Last updated at 12:07 ET
Bullet trains collide in Zhejiang province

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14262276

At least 11 people have died and 89 people injured after two high-speed trains crashed into each other in eastern China, state media reports.

Two train coaches fell off a bridge after derailing close to Wenzhou in Zhejiang province.

Details are sketchy but Chinese media report that one of the trains came to a halt after being struck by lightning and was then hit by the second train.

Rescue workers are at the scene, near Shuangyu town in Wenzhou.

It is not known how many people were on the trains at the time, but Xinhua news agency says each carriage can carry 100 people.

Initial reports suggested one bullet train had derailed at about 2030 (1230 GMT) - the D3115 travelling from the provincial capital Hangzhou to Wenzhou.

But local television later said the first train had been forced to stop after losing power due to a lightning strike, and was then rear-ended by another train, causing two of its carriages to fall off the bridge.

"D" trains are the first generation of bullet trains in China, with an average speed of just short of 100mph (160km/h).

China is spending billions on constructing a high-speed rail network.

Last month China inaugurated its Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail link.

The 300 km/h (190mph) train halves the journey time to under five hours.

China is planning to roll out high-speed lines across the country.

But the project has come under fire for its high cost - the Beijing-Shanghai line cost 215bn yuan ($33bn; £21bn).

The BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing says there are also fears corruption has compromised safety in the network's construction.

[akv]

Prayers Out

[mojaveman]

A tragedy.

I've ridden bullet trains in Europe a few times and they're exhilarating, couldn't imagine an accident at that speed though.

[tonyz]

How'd you like to be on the sea trials of that new aircraft carrier right about now?

BBC news - online
12 August 2011
Last updated at 06:43 ET

China train crash: Design flaws to blame - safety chief

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14504877

A crash between two high-speed trains in China that killed 40 people was caused by serious design flaws, the country's safety chief has said.

Luo Lin, who is heading the inquiry into the crash, said the accident near Wenzhou was "completely avoidable".

Mr Luo did not say whether the flaws were in the trains, or the wider rail system. Officials earlier said a signal failure may have been to blame.

The accident has led to an unprecedented public outcry.

The high-speed rail network is a flagship project of China's Communist rulers, who have overseen the construction of the world's largest such infrastructure over the past four years.

But the project hit problems earlier this year with a corruption scandal.

And the Wenzhou crash has led many Chinese to accuse the government of putting politics and profits before safety.

Ambitions dented

Mr Luo, who is director of the State Administration of Work Safety, was quoted in state media as saying there were "serious flaws in the system design that led to an equipment failure".

"At the same time, this exposed problems in emergency response and safety management after the failure occurred," he said.

"This was a major accident involving culpability, that could have been totally avoided."

Mr Luo is heading a panel charged with investigating the crash.

The panel itself has already been the subject of criticism.

Earlier this month, the state-run Global Times published an interview with one of the inquiry panel members who appeared to be unaware of his exact role, or the remit of the inquiry.

On Wednesday, the government reshuffled the panel, removing two officials from the railway ministry - the department that has borne the most criticism from the public.

Beijing hopes to export its high-speed rail expertise across the world, but analysts say the Wenzhou crash has dented those ambitions.Officials are carrying out a safety review of existing lines, and have put a freeze on the approval of new projects while safety standards are re-evaluated.

On Friday, state-owned train manufacturer CNR announced it was recalling 54 bullet trains that operate on the Beijing-Shanghai line.

[ZonieDiver]

I watched Denzel in "Unstoppable" on NetFlix the other night... or "Speed - on Rails" or to paraphrase Homer Simpson... "The Train That Couldn't Slow Down"... Bullet trains = bad idea!

[Masochist]

Originally Posted by ZonieDiver

I watched Denzel in "Unstoppable" on NetFlix the other night... or "Speed - on Rails" or to paraphrase Homer Simpson... "The Train That Couldn't Slow Down"... Bullet trains = bad idea!

Since we're quoting Homer: "Marge, I agree with you -- in theory. In theory, communism works. In theory."

[Dusty]

Prayers out

[Ret10Echo]

Interesting article in the August 6 - 12th edition of The Economist. Discussion on the significance of the wreck on Chinese politics...

[tonyz]

Originally Posted by Ret10Echo

Interesting article in the August 6 - 12th edition of The Economist. Discussion on the significance of the wreck on Chinese politics...

Interesting article - thanks - for convenience - posted link and excerpt below (assuming this is the article).

The Economist
August 6th edition
Dissent in China
Of development and dictators

http://www.economist.com/node/21525419

Excerpts:

China’s rulers love to point out the shortcomings of Western-style democracies; the “Beijing model” by contrast gets difficult jobs done. That view is often echoed by Western businesspeople. Yet breakneck economic development has cut corners, distorted priorities and created big conflicts of interest. The railways ministry is manufacturer, operator and regulator of the network. Now ordinary Chinese folk are questioning their country’s less-than-triple-A politics. A hurtling train is a metaphor for runaway development that is generating its share of collapsing buildings, lethal coal mines and bulldozed neighbourhoods. By contrast, Japan’s bullet train has had just one fatality in 47 years, a passenger caught in a door.

China’s technocrats managed to fix its once faulty airlines. But the issue at Wenzhou is not really the rushed engineering. Rather it is the growing need, in an increasingly complex country, for scrutiny, accountability and public debate. It has, in other words, shown the limits of dictatorship. Some of China’s rulers probably know that—but, to judge by the news crackdown now under way, clearly not enough of them.