Chinese railway starts high-speed era
 29 years ago, late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping took a test ride on a high-speed train. After taking the train, Deng said, "The high-speed train runs as fast as wind." He added that China "should try as best as it can to catch up with other countries in making high-speed trains."
His comments on the high-speed train expressed his yearning for speed. At that time, the high-speed train in some developed countries already could reach a speed of 300 kilometers an hour, while the average speed for domestic trains was only 43 kilometers an hour.
Since then, Chinese people have been working hard in order to realize their dream of raising the speed of trains. Chinese railway industry eyed the world's top-class technologies and introduced some advanced railway technologies from France, Germany, Japan, and Canada. After grasping these technologies, China started to make technological innovations. In the end, China successfully made 26 innovative technologies making it possible for China to raise its train speed to over 200 kilometers an hour.
With these technologies, Chinese railway industry was ranked as one of the best in the world. Now, 29 years after Deng Xiaoping expressed his hope for high-speed trains, China is starting a new round of speed overhaul in the railway system, which is the sixth time of speed raise in railway industry. If Deng were alive today, Chinese people could tell him proudly that Chinese railway industry had kicked off its high-speed era.
Starting from April 18, some passenger trains in China will run as fast as 250 kilometers an hour.
In 2008, China might further raise the speed of passenger trains up to 350 kilometers an hour by adopting new technologies in passenger train lines. By then, it will only take 29 minutes to travel from Beijing to Tianjin (which covers a distance of 115 kilomters).
By 2010, China will have 700 railway motor cars travelling at a speed of over 200 kilometers an hour. In addition, some 1,500 trains with high-powered locomotives will also run along various railway lines. Manufacturing of locomotives and rolling stocks in railway industry will by then basically become modernized. |
