[37] The State Council turned to advanced technology abroad but made clear in directives that China's HSR expansion could not only benefit foreign economies and should also be used to develop its own high-speed train building capacity through technology transfers. [87][88] Quality and safety concerns also affected plans to export cheaper high-speed train technology to other countries. On mixed-use HSR lines, passenger train service can attain peak speeds of 200250km/h (120160mph). "[16][17], High-speed rail in China is officially defined as "newly-built passenger-dedicated rail lines designed for electrical multiple unit (EMU) train sets traveling at not less than 250km/h (155mph) (including lines with reserved capacity for upgrade to the 250km/h (155mph) standard) on which initial service operate at not less than 200km/h (124mph). The CRH's high-speed trains are called Harmony and Rejuvenation. The new trains reduced travel time between Beijing and Shanghai by two hours to just under 10 hours. Certain mixed use freight and passenger rail lines, that can be upgraded for train speeds of 250km/h (155mph), with current passenger service of at least 200km/h (124mph), are also considered high-speed rail.[18]. A notable example is the GuangzhouShenzhen railway, which in December 1994 became the first line in China to offer sub-high-speed service of 160km/h (99mph) using domestically produced DF-class diesel locomotives. This statistic is not included in your account. [11], Economically, there were initial concerns, particularly outside China, over the high-speed rail's cost, debt and profitability. [4] China's HSR accounts for two-thirds of the world's total high-speed railway networks. [1][2][3] The HSR network encompasses newly built rail lines with a design speed of 200350km/h (120220mph). In 2007, travel time from Beijing to Shanghai was about 10 hours at a top speed of 200km/h (124mph) on the upgraded BeijingShanghai Railway. Supporters argued that high-speed rail would boost future economic growth. August 18, 2020. The ballastless track technology, imported from Germany, carries higher upfront costs but can reduce maintenance costs. Some of the Hexie Hao train sets are manufactured locally through technology transfer, a key requirement for China. [102], In the first half of 2011, the MOR as a whole made a profit of 4.29 billion and carried a total debt burden of 2.09 trillion, equal to about 5% of China's GDP. [52] In addition, high-speed rail fares are considerably more expensive than conventional rail service. Training of Indian engineers for Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail [120] High-speed passenger rail service expanded to 28 provinces and regions. [121][122], In response to a slowing economy, central planners approved a slew of new lines including Shangqiu-Hefei-Hangzhou,[123] Zhengzhou-Wanzhou,[124] Lianyungang-Zhenjiang,[125] Linyi-Qufu,[126] Harbin-Mudanjiang,[127] Yinchuan-Xi'an,[123] Datong-Zhangjiakou,[123] and intercity lines in Zhejiang[128] and Jiangxi. [21] In December 1990, the Ministry of Railways (MOR) submitted to the National People's Congress a proposal to build a high-speed railway between Beijing and Shanghai. The GuiyangGuangzhou high-speed railway and LanzhouXinjiang high-speed railway are both suffering from high maintenance cost due to harsh climate conditions and complicated terrain structure. These are also considered high-speed rail though they are not part of the national HSR grid or Intercity High Speed Rail. [97][98] The Minister of Railways announced further cuts in the speed of Chinese high-speed trains, with the speed of the second-tier 'D' trains reduced from 250km/h (155mph) to 200km/h (124mph), and 200km/h (124mph) to 160km/h (99mph) on upgraded pre-existing lines. Initiated by MOR's 2004 "Mid-to-Long Term Railway Network Plan", a national grid composed of eight high-speed rail corridors, four running northsouth and four going eastwest, was to be constructed. Railway officials lowered the top speed of trains on most lines that were running at 350km/h (217mph) to 300km/h (186mph). A high-speed rail line connecting Kunming to Vientiane, the capital of Laos, was opened after five years of construction. The World Bank estimated in 2019 that currently, the average cost of the Chinese high-speed rail network was from 17 to 21 million dollars per km, which is one third less than the cost of most of Western countries. [84][85][86] The Wenzhou train accident and the lack of accountability by railway officials caused a public uproar and heightened concerns about the safety and management of China's high-speed rail system. Two-direction departures at five-minute intervals, but can be as short as 1 minute. Even the more modest plan to extend the maglev to Shanghai's other airport, Hongqiao, has stalled. [141] The government also articulated the importance and urgency of assuring the capacity of railway staff, especially their familiarity with telecommunication and signaling testing in the official investigation of the Wenzhou train collision. Suppliers and manufacturers blame each other for any problem detected in the trial operation, while tracking the construction process to every single detail is an almost impossible job for inspectors. [OC] 24 hours of high-speed trains in China - Reddit China's most profitable high-speed rail line, reporting 6.6 billion yuan (over $1 billion) in net operational profit in 2015, connects Beijing to Shanghai, two major economic zones. China has built the bulk of the world's . In 2018, annual ridership on EMU train sets, which encompasses officially defined high-speed rail service as well as certain sub-high-speed service routes, accounted for about two-thirds of all regional rail trips (not including urban trains) in China. The grid is composed of eight high-speed rail corridors, four running northsouth and four eastwest, and has a total of 12,000km (7,456mi). [180] In December 2014, the Henan provincial government imposed a rule requiring municipal authorities pay 70% of the deficit incurred by Henan's intercity lines with the provincial authorities paying the remainder 30%. As per the official statement of National High-Speed Rail . According to Xinhua News Agency, the aggregate results of the six Speed Up Campaigns were: boosting passenger train speed on 22,000km (14,000mi) of tracks to 120km/h (75mph), on 14,000km (8,700mi) of tracks to 160km/h (99mph), on 2,876km (1,787mi) of tracks to 200km/h (124mph) and on 846km (526mi) of tracks to 250km/h (155mph). With a total length of 968km (601mi) and capacity to accommodate trains traveling at 350km/h (217mph), the Wuguang PDL set a world record for the fastest commercial train service with average trip speed of 312.5km/h (194.2mph). The refusal of the Transrapid Consortium to share technology and source production in China made large-scale maglev production much more costly than high-speed train technology for conventional lines. [158] The Southeast HSR corridor lost 0.377billion in its first year beginning August 2009. The ideal entry-level account for individual users. [47] Kawasaki challenged China's high-speed rail project for patent theft, but backed off the effort.[48]. While a number of high-speed railways in eastern China have started to be operationally profitable since 2015, the high speed railways in the midwest still operate at a loss. [138], The safety issue that drew the attention of the public and the government was the Wenzhou train collision which happened on July 23, 2011, in which 40 people died, 172 were injured, and 54 related officials blamed and punished. Find your information in our database containing over 20,000 reports, China's investment in intercity high-speed rail and rail transit. High-speed railways: A source of pride for China - CGTN In the first three quarters of 2012, the line lost 1.87 billion. This stands over three times the HSR distance of the. High-speed trains on HSR Corridors can generally reach 300350km/h (190220mph). China's busiest high-speed rail line handles 1.35 billion passengers in As soon as this statistic is updated, you will immediately be notified via e-mail. Public Transportation & Mobility Services, Intercity rail services in the United States, Get the best reports to understand your industry, World Rail Market Study - Executive Summary 2020. Learn more about how Statista can support your business. [20] The steam-powered train, which ran on the South Manchuria Railway from Dalian to Xinjing (Changchun), had a top commercial speed of 110km/h (68mph) and a test speed of 130km/h (81mph). Rail Vehicle Market Restraints, Segments and Regional - MarketWatch China has built the world's largest bullet-train network How fast is bullet train in China? [33] At the time, planners were divided between using high-speed trains with wheels that run on conventional standard gauge tracks or magnetic levitation trains that run on special maglev tracks for a new national high-speed rail network. The route is part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, and the completed . [64] On June 13, 2011, the MOR clarified in a press conference that the speed reduction was not due to safety concerns but to offer more affordable tickets for trains at 250km/h (155mph) and increase ridership. The US still waits for its high-speed rail revolution | CNN More than 110,000 tourists from mainland China left Hong Kong on the first day . [37] Alstom of France, Siemens of Germany, Bombardier Transportation based in Germany and a Japanese consortium led by Kawasaki all submitted bids. In June 2002, a domestically made DJF2 train set a record of 292.8km/h (181.9mph) on the track. In July 2016, the state planners reorganized the national HSR network including HSR lines in operation, under construction and under planning into eight vertical and eight horizontal high speed rail corridors, almost doubling the network.[189][190]. 'Rejuvenation') that based on indigenous technologies. 'The Greenest Bullet Train In The World': Wes Edens Wants - Forbes The plan envisions a larger 8+8 high speed rail grid serving the nation and expanded intercity lines for regional and commuter services for large metropolitan areas of China. [106] As of October 12, 2011, the MOR had issued 160 billion of debt for the year. (Chinese), provincial-level administrative divisions, electrical multiple unit (EMU) train sets, Campaign to raise the speed of railway travel in China, conventional high-speed rail line was built between Shanghai and Hangzhou, Sifang Locomotive and Rolling Stock Co (CSR Sifang), high-speed railway between Beijing and Shanghai, List of high-speed railway lines in China Four Vertical and Four Horizontal" network, WuhanGuangzhou high-speed railway (Wuguang PDL), GuangzhouShenzhenHong Kong high-speed railway, List of high-speed railway lines in China, GuangzhouShenzhenHong Kong Express Rail Link, upgraded in the sixth round of the "Speed-up Campaign", California's high-speed rail line project, "Length of Beijing-HK rail network same as Equator", "New high-speed trains on drawing board- China.org.cn", "Full speed ahead for China's high-speed rail network in 2019", "China builds the world's longest high-speed rail as a rail stalls in the U.S.", "China's fast track to high-speed rail exports", "China-Tibet bullet trains to commence operations before July", "China sets railway building spree in high-speed motion", "World's Longest Fast Train Line Opens in China", "China to step up testing on fastest-ever maglev train", "China's High-Speed Rail, the world's longest high-speed railway network, is now losing $24 million per day with a reported debt of $1.8 trillion", "China Railway's debt nears $900bn under expansion push", "Is this the end of the line for China's rapid railway investment? The earliest example of higher-speed commercial train service in China was the Asia Express, a luxury passenger train that operated in Japanese-controlled Manchuria from 1934 to 1943. The COVID-19 epidemic hurt China's high-speed railway sector last year, but the Beijing-Shanghai section, which will turn 10 on Wednesday, remained profitable, spurring the introduction of a new model of Fuxing bullet train on the prime stretch, offering better services and safety, said senior executives of the company that operates the line . In 2018, China Railway operated 3,970.5 pairs of passenger train service, of which 2,775 pairs were carried by EMU train sets. U.S. high-speed rail 'myths' debunked - CNN.com They are known as passenger-designated lines (PDL). The centerpiece of China's expansion into high-speed rail is a national high-speed rail grid consisting of mainly passenger dedicated lines that is overlaid onto the existing railway network. [23] In 1995, Premier Li Peng announced that preparatory work on the Beijing Shanghai HSR would begin in the 9th Five Year Plan (19962000), but construction was not scheduled until the first decade of the 21st century. In Saudi Arabia's Haramain High Speed Rail Project, Alstom partnered with China Railway Construction Corp. to win the contract to build phase I of the Mecca to Medina HSR line, and Siemens has joined CSR to bid on phase II. [110] Over the course of the year, the MOR's budget rose from $64.3 billion to $96.5 billion. A Whopping $900B Debt - China's Once-Profitable High-Speed Railways Now To better compete with foreign trainmakers, the central authorities arranged for the merger of the country's two main high-speed train-makers, CSR and CNR, into CRRC. As of February 2016, high-speed rails covered nearly 20,000km (12,427mi). China's Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail operator is more profitable [178] In September 2010, daily ridership averaged 69,000 or an annual rate of 25.2million. Train travel between central and southern Chinas largest cities, Wuhan and Guangzhou, was reduced to just over three hours. [20] It was faster than the fastest trains in Japan at the time. [110] Premier Wen Jiabao visited train manufacturers and gave a vote of confidence in the industry. State planning for China's current high-speed railway network began in the early 1990s under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping. Why China can build high-speed rail so cheaply Service failures in the first month of operation drove passengers back to pre-existing slower rail service and air travel; airline ticket prices rebounded due to reduced competition. The CRH380A/AL, the first indigenous high-speed train of the CRH series, entered service on the Shanghai-Hangzhou High-Speed Railway on October 26, 2010. The CRH380 series(or family) of trains was initially built with direct cooperation (or help) from foreign trainmakers, but newer trainsets are based on transferred technology, just like the Hexie and Fuxing Hao. The order had a similar delivery structure with three shipped directly from Savigliano along with six kits assembled by CNR's CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles, and the rest locally made with transferred technology and some imported parts. [37] The State Council, MOR and state-owned train builders used China's large market and competition among foreign train-makers to force technology transfers of foreign high speed rail technology[citation needed]. The train operated in commercially on conventional rail lines in southwest China from 2007 to 2010. The fastest commercial train service measured by peak operational speed is the, The fastest commercial train service measured by average train speed is the CRH express service on the, The fastest timetabled start-to-stop runs between a station pair in the world are trains G17/G39 on the, The top speed attained by a non-maglev train in China is 487.3km/h (302.8mph) by a, This page was last edited on 1 May 2023, at 05:10. This line between northern China's two largest cities, was the first in the country to accommodate commercial trains with top speed of 350km/h (217mph) and featured the CRH2C and CRH3C train sets. ", "China's fastest high speed train 380A rolls off production line", "High-speed rail broadens range of options for China's New Year travel", "China finds 187 mln yuan embezzled from Beijing-Shanghai railway project", "Chinese rail crash scandal: 'official steals $2.8 billion', "China acts on high-speed rail safety fears", "China slows down showcase bullet trains", "World's longest high-speed train to decelerate a bit", "The Backlash Is Brewing Against Chinese High-Speed Rail: Here's Why It's In Trouble", "Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway to run trials", "China not slowing high-speed rail construction", "Railway cuts bullet trains from schedule | Sunday Digest", "Train Wreck in China Heightens Unease on Safety Standards", "Crash raises doubts about China's fast rail plans", "Chinese bullet trains recalled in wake of fatal crash | World news", "Five Days Later, Chinese Concede Design Flaw Had Role in Wreck", "Un error en las seales caus el choque de trenes chinos", "La signalisation mise en cause dans l'accident du Pkin-Shangha", "La scurit des TGV chinois de plus en plus conteste", "First fatal crash on Chinese high speed line", "China train crash: Signal design flaw blamed", "China train crash kills 32 The Observer", "Outrage at Wenzhou disaster pushes China to suspend bullet train project", "China's High-Speed Rail Accident 'Struck a Nerve' | The Rundown News Blog", "China crashes into a middle class revolt", "China steps up train safety amid anger after cras", "China freezes new railway projects after high-speed train crash", "China train crash: Design flaws to blame safety chief", "China suspends new high speed rail plans", "Decision to slow trains met with mixed response|Nation|chinadaily.com.cn", "More high-speed trains slow down to improve safety|Society|chinadaily.com.cn", "CapitalVue News: China Cuts Ticket Price Of High Speed Rail", "China's high speed rail projects on hold due to cash crunch", Simon Rabinovitch, Chinas high-speed rail gets back on track Financial Times, "World's longest high-speed rail line makes debut", "China High Speed Train Development and Investment", "Sound financials recharge China's fast trains", "Bullet trains trigger profit growth for railways", "China's high-speed rail still reporting staggering losses", "China's railways mileage tops 100,000 km", "Chinese Trainmakers To Merge And Form Export Powerhouse", "China's Busiest High-Speed Rail Line Makes a Fast Buck", "China's high-speed rail lines top 37,900 at end of 2020 Xinhua | English.news.cn", "China to Expand High-Speed Rail Network to 50,000 Kilometers by 2025", "Despite a Deadly Crash, Rail System Has Good Safety Record", "Railway Efficiency An Overview and a Look at Opportunities for Improvement", "What is rail efficiency and how can it be changed? Trains can operate at 200km/h (124mph) on many of the conventional main lines. In Europe that figure is $25m-$39m per kilometre, while in California, the only US state currently planning a high-speed line, it's more like $56m/km. [188] As of October 2013, high-speed rail was carrying twice as many passengers each month as the country's airlines. [15], A 2019 World Bank study estimated the rate of economic return of China's high-speed rail network to be at 8 percent, which is well above the opportunity cost of capital in China for major long term infrastructure investments. Rail Vehicle Market Report is highly -intensive driven by high R&D investment and has strong product analysis to maintain growth and ensure long-term monetization with a forecast period of 2023-2029. In addition to track and scheduling improvements, the MOR also deployed faster CRH series trains. Construction first started on this 1,318 km-line in 2008, and it opened for commercial service in 2011. [156] In an analysis conducted in 2019, only five out of fifteen high speed railway lines with travel speeds reaching 350 kilometers per hour, were able to cover all costs that included both the operating and capital costs.[157]. [180] If the rail-backed loans cannot be fully repaid, they may be refinanced or the banks may seize ownership of the railways. [131], In 2016, with the near completion of the National 4+4 grid, a new "Mid-to-Long Term Railway Network" Plan was drafted. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date On one hand, the demand of high-speed rail in China steadily increases over time. "[140], Experts expressed concern of the network's operational efficiency. A unit of Russia's state-owned JSC Russian Railways signed a contract with the design unit of China's state-controlled China Railway Group to come up with the plans for a 770 kilometer high-speed rail between the two Russian cities. The line supports commercial train service at speeds of 200250km/h (120160mph), and has become a segment of the rail corridor between Beijing and Northeast China. [221], In January 2014, the China Railway Construction Corporation completed a 30km (19mi) section of the Ankara-Istanbul high-speed railway between Eskiehir and nn in western Turkey.[222]. Under political and public pressure, the National Audit Office (NAO) carried out an extensive investigation into the building quality of all high-speed rail lines. The CRH380AL train set, shown above at the, Growth of China's high-speed rail network, Early passenger-dedicated high-speed rail lines, Passenger-freight railways and connecting conventional lines. China's high-speed rail construction projects are highly capital intensive. [69][70] In June, the MOR maintained that high-speed rail construction was not slowing down. Directly accessible data for 170 industries from 50 countries and over 1 million facts: Get quick analyses with our professional research service. It is also known as "the most profitable" rail line, with annual growth rate of profits registered at 39.4 percent from 2014 to 2019. [38] However, Chinese citizens angry with Japan's denial of World War II war crimes organized a web campaign to oppose the awarding of HSR contracts to Japanese companies. A Japanese report envisioned a winner-take all scenario in which the winning technology provider would supply China's trains for over 8,000km (5,000mi) of high-speed rail. Fares are competitive with bus and airfares and are about one-fourth the base fares in other countries. High-speed trains on PDLs can generally reach 300350km/h (190220mph). Critics both in China and abroad have questioned the necessity of having an expensive high-speed rail system in a largely developing country, where most workers cannot afford to pay a premium for faster travel. It was profitable every year between 2014 and 2019, according to national railway operator China State Railway Group Co. In the second year, ridership rose to 22.3million and revenues improved to 1.4billion, which narrowed losses somewhat to below 0.5billion. Now, two-thirds of the world's high-speed rail is in China and passengers take 3.7 billion rides every year, more than half of that number on high-speed trains. HSR provides fast, reliable and comfortable means of transporting large numbers of travelers in a densely populated country over long distances,[147][148] which: One major concern of the high-speed rail network is the high amount of debt incurred. IPO for China's most profitable high-speed train State to sell 15% of Beijing to Shanghai line to help fund less profitable rail services by KG Chan October 29, 2019 A bullet train departs Shanghai's Hongqiao Station. [143] However, the rail staff productivity upon railway track infrastructure index in China is less than 0.05, being the lowest among the countries with significant railway construction. Published by Statista Research Department , Feb 3, 2023. [37] It supplied the technology for the CRH3C, based on the ICE3 (class 403) design, to CNR's Tangshan Railway Vehicle Co. Ltd. [75], On July 23, 2011, two high-speed trains collided on the NingboTaizhouWenzhou railway in Lucheng District of Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province. China's high-speed rail is not profitable, and it is steadily losing money. [14] In 2021, China's state railway company have also vowed to prioritise in reforms that aims to improve the productivity and efficiency of its high speed rail network, rather than focus on the expansion of track mileage.
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