High-speed trains will be ordered to slow down and approval for new lines suspended as investigation into fatal Wenzhou disaster continues
Stephen Chen and Toh Han Shih 11 August 2011
The central government has ordered high-speed trains to run slower and suspended approval for new lines after last month’s deadly crash in Wenzhou.
A State Council meeting chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao yesterday said the speed of new high-speed trains should be reduced “appropriately” during the early phase of their operation to improve management and accumulate operational experience, Xinhua reported.
In an interview released last night, Railways Minister Sheng Guangzu said trains designed to run at up to 350km/h would run at 300km/h; those with a top speed of 250km/h would run at 200 km/h; and those designed to run at 200km/h would run at 160km/h.
Sheng said ticket prices would fall accordingly. Railway authorities would also gradually increase the intervals between trains to reduce risks.
More trains would be arranged to ease passenger flow.
The State Council said it would suspend approvals of new high-speed-rail lines, while new safety assessments would be made of projects already approved but on which construction had not yet started.
“The meeting also decided to strengthen the investigation team [looking into] the train accident ... to enhance the authority and credibility of the investigation,” Xinhua said. The decision followed mounting criticism of those appointed to an expert team in charge of the inquiry into the crash, which killed at least 40 people and injured nearly 200. At least half the experts are closely linked to the Ministry of Railways or are from a company that provides key technological support to the rail line on which the accident took place.
The State Council said it would review the goals set forward in the 12th five-year plan concerning railway development and put more emphasis on safety. Sheng said the railways ministry had dispatched 180 experts, divided into 47 teams, to conduct thorough checks of all lines between July 25 and September 30.
The Ministry of Railways has already ordered China CNR Corporation to temporarily halt production of CRH380BL high-speed trains by a subsidiary, the Changchun Railway Vehicles Company, after flaws were discovered in an automated safety system.
These trains were to be used on the newly opened Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway. The suspension of production will affect 17 trains, worth 6.7 billion yuan (HK$8.1 billion), but CNR said it still hopes to book the 6.7 billion-yuan order this year. The flaw had been causing delays in the trains’ operation since the Beijing-Shanghai line started service on July 1, CNR said.
A source from the Shanghai Railway Bureau said regional bureaus of the ministry had begun preparing for the changes ordered by the State Council, drawing up new operating guidelines and timetables for passenger trains.
Professor Wang Mengshu, deputy chief engineer of the China Railway Tunnel Group and a key drafter of the national blueprint for the development of high-speed railways, said many experts had suggested increasing the interval between trains from the current half an hour to more than an hour.
Wang said the existing intervals posed many problems - trains were often in short supply, meaning they were being used intensively. That meant they were experiencing wear and tear sooner than expected, and the entire system was suffering.
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Beijing puts brakes on railways
High-speed trains will be ordered to slow down and approval for new lines suspended as investigation into fatal Wenzhou disaster continues
Stephen Chen and Toh Han Shih
11 August 2011
The central government has ordered high-speed trains to run slower and suspended approval for new lines after last month’s deadly crash in Wenzhou.
A State Council meeting chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao yesterday said the speed of new high-speed trains should be reduced “appropriately” during the early phase of their operation to improve management and accumulate operational experience, Xinhua reported.
In an interview released last night, Railways Minister Sheng Guangzu said trains designed to run at up to 350km/h would run at 300km/h; those with a top speed of 250km/h would run at 200 km/h; and those designed to run at 200km/h would run at 160km/h.
Sheng said ticket prices would fall accordingly. Railway authorities would also gradually increase the intervals between trains to reduce risks.
More trains would be arranged to ease passenger flow.
The State Council said it would suspend approvals of new high-speed-rail lines, while new safety assessments would be made of projects already approved but on which construction had not yet started.
“The meeting also decided to strengthen the investigation team [looking into] the train accident ... to enhance the authority and credibility of the investigation,” Xinhua said. The decision followed mounting criticism of those appointed to an expert team in charge of the inquiry into the crash, which killed at least 40 people and injured nearly 200. At least half the experts are closely linked to the Ministry of Railways or are from a company that provides key technological support to the rail line on which the accident took place.
The State Council said it would review the goals set forward in the 12th five-year plan concerning railway development and put more emphasis on safety. Sheng said the railways ministry had dispatched 180 experts, divided into 47 teams, to conduct thorough checks of all lines between July 25 and September 30.
The Ministry of Railways has already ordered China CNR Corporation to temporarily halt production of CRH380BL high-speed trains by a subsidiary, the Changchun Railway Vehicles Company, after flaws were discovered in an automated safety system.
These trains were to be used on the newly opened Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway. The suspension of production will affect 17 trains, worth 6.7 billion yuan (HK$8.1 billion), but CNR said it still hopes to book the 6.7 billion-yuan order this year. The flaw had been causing delays in the trains’ operation since the Beijing-Shanghai line started service on July 1, CNR said.
A source from the Shanghai Railway Bureau said regional bureaus of the ministry had begun preparing for the changes ordered by the State Council, drawing up new operating guidelines and timetables for passenger trains.
Professor Wang Mengshu, deputy chief engineer of the China Railway Tunnel Group and a key drafter of the national blueprint for the development of high-speed railways, said many experts had suggested increasing the interval between trains from the current half an hour to more than an hour.
Wang said the existing intervals posed many problems - trains were often in short supply, meaning they were being used intensively. That meant they were experiencing wear and tear sooner than expected, and the entire system was suffering.
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