The machines helping to build China's vast network of high speed rail

by fulltimestudent 5 Replies latest social current

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  fulltimestudent

  High speed rail (in China, anyway) is a railway that travels faster than 200 km/hour. While other countries in Europe and Japan have developed high speed rail, China now has the largest network in the world, with both mainlines and connecting links often providing 300km/hour travel. The network now comprises more than 16,000 km of dedicated track and another approx. 16,000 km of shared passenger rail + freight. Another 16,000 km is in the process of planning and or construction.

  For example, you can travel from the centre of Beijing to Shanghai (about 1318 km) in approximately 4.5 hours, a travel time that makes for serious competition with air-travel (flight time is 2 hours, but you need to consider check-in requirements and travel time from central city to airports located on the fringe of a city).

  High speed rail is now being sold abroad. A joint Russia-China agreement has been signed to build a high speed link from east Asia (Beijing) to Moscow.

  The current travel time on the famous Siberian Express is 6 days, the new rail link will take less than two days.

  http://www.railway-technology.com/features/featureconnecting-eurasia-mapping-the-myriad-of-high-speed-rail-routes-4593227/

  Methods have been developed that permit fast construction - here's two videos that show their methodology. The concept is simple, rather than following the contours of the land, build a level track by tunnelling through mountains and building elevated track where there are valleys.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6X82g2UZOs&feature=share
  

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MWF06XKN8o
  
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  LoisLane looking for Superman

  Amazing!
• 

  kaik

  Problem with European high-speed rails across continent are numerous. While EU has one the best and most sophisticated high-speed rails, its development is hindered by many problem:

  1. First of all, there are three main traction in EU. Germany has own traction, while countries east and west have different. While this is solved with current train engines, it is expensive and makes it much harder to implement across entire EU.
     
  2. Each country has different train regulations and most of the rails are in the state hands since the 19th century.
  3. Most of the countries thinks within its border, and transcontinental rail link is not effective. Rails are good within 500km, but on further distances, planes are cheaper and faster.
  4. Various interstate rail networks plans between Brest in France and Brest in Lithuania remain on paper; they will never be implemented across multiple countries.
  5. EU states are improving rails and they are much better than in USA, railways are indeed model of transportation for 19th century versus 21st century, where movement of people and goods in individualistic.
  6. Railway transportation was NEVER profitable. Never. Even in the 19th century, which was plagued by train boom and bust. For example widespread global crisis in 1873-1879 was tied into railway boom which never brought profit to the investors. From Germany to Italy to Hungary, there are hundreds of miles unfinished imperial railway lines from this specific bust. 140 years, and there are bridges, tunnels, and other structures that never saw single train! Similar bust happened in 1890's affecting local rails from USA to Europe. Chinese rails would face the same problems as did European and American ones 1.5 century ago.
     
  7. 
     
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  Simon

  That is cool. It looks slow but I can imagine it's like a rocket compared to traditional construction methods.

  It will just be a matter of time before someone builds one out of lego ...
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  Simon

  Meanwhile, in the UK ...

  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33425743

  ... the new inter-city trains bought by the government for this line are too long for Brunel's curved platforms.

  "It was decided by the Department for Transport that the new trains will be 26m long per vehicle and our railways are built for 23m long," said Tony Miles. "So if they go around a tightly curved platform the middle bit will scrape on the platform edge. It's simple physics."

  Oh dear.
  
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  bohm

  "So if they go around a tightly curved platform the middle bit will scrape on the platform edge. It's simple physics."

  lol, the mental imagery is hilarious. Imagine being the guy who first got the idea to check this, talk about awkward :-).