China Ratchets Up the Pace on High-Speed
By Barrow, Keith
With construction underway on the world’s longest high-speed line and the first domestically- produced 300km/h trains coming on stream, China’s high speed rail programme has dominated the headlines in recent weeks. Keith Barrow reviews a momentous month for Chinese high-speed rail. Sunday
16
December
Tracklaying completed on Beijing – Tianjin line
THE final sections of track have been laid on China’s first 300km/ h railway, which runs between from Beijing to the coastal city of Tianjin. When it opens in August, the line will cut journey times between Beijing, the major venue for this year’s Olympic Games, and Tianjin, one of the venues for soccer matches, from 1h 10min to just 30 minutes.
The line is built for 350km/h operation and runs on an elevated alignment for more than 100km because of the area’s alluvial soil, which is sensitive to ground settlement. Construction has been carried out by Chinese companies using the Max Bogl slab track system.
Around 26 million passengers travel by train between Beijing and Tianjin each year, although the Ministry of Railways (MOR) expects the high-speed line will boost this figure to 32 million this year and 54 million by 2015.
Ten eight-car trains are being built by Sifang Locomotive & Rolling Stock Company for the line, which will eventually form the northern section of the Beijing – Shanghai line.
Wednesday
19
December
Siemens ships first Velaro CN to China
THE first of 60 Siemens Velaro CN high-speed trains has left the German port of Bremerhaven on its six-week sea journey to China. Up to five of the eight-car, 300km/h trains will enter service on the Beijing – Tianjin line in August to supplement the CRH2-300 fleet during the Olympic Games.
The first three trains are being built by Siemens at its plant in Krefeld, Germany, before production shifts to 1 China, where CNR’s Tangshan Locomotive & Rolling Stock Works will assemble the remaining 57 trains.
The Velaro CN, or CRH3 as it will be known, has capacity for 600 passengers, with the wide body accommodating 3+2 seating in second class.
In an interview with the German Newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, the head of Siemens’ trains division Mr Ansgar Brockmeyer said he was optimistic of further Velaro orders from China. “If the Velaro runs well and impresses the Chinese, we are optimistic we will get a share of the rest of the cake,” he said.
Saturday
22
December
First 300km/h train
THE first 300km/h train to be built in China has rolled off the production line at Sifang Locomotive & Rolling Stock Company’s plant in Qingdao. A fleet of 10 CRH2-300 eight-car trains is under construction for delivery by March. The trains will be introduced on the Beijing – Tianjin high-speed line in August, in time for the start of the Olympic Games. Previous trains in the CRH series had a maximum speed of 250km/h.
Monday
7
January
Beijing – Shanghai civil works contracts awarded
THE WORLD’S longest high-speed railway has moved a step closer to fruition after six contracts worth a total of Yuan 83.7 billion ($US 11.5 billion) were awarded for civil works on the Beijing – Shanghai line. Groundbreaking ceremonies were due to be held on January 18 to mark the start of construction.
China Railway Construction Corporation has won contracts worth Yuan 33.7 billion, while China Railway Group’s share of the work is worth Yuan 22 billion. Sinohydro, China, and China Communications Construction have secured contracts worth Yuan 14.3 billion and 13.7 billion respectively.
MOR is funding 78.9% of the Yuan 160 billion project while insurance companies including Ping An, China, are providing a joint investment of Yuan 16 billion. The National Council for the Social Security Fund is also investing Yuan 10 billion and the China Development Bank is reportedly planning to buy a stake in the project.
The 1318km line will have 1140km of bridges and viaducts, 16km of tunnels, and 21 stations. Around 96% of the line will be slab track with a minimum curve radius of 7000m and a maximum gradient of less than 2%. Minimum headways will be three minutes and trains will initially operate at a maximum of 300km/h.
The line is due to open in 2013, when Beijing – Shanghai journey times will be halved from around 10 hours to 4h 37min. If trains run at the maximum design speed of 350km/h, the journey time will be further reduced to just 3h 58min. MOR expects the line will carry 160 million passengers per year and release capacity for up to 50 million tonnes of freight on existing lines.
Monday
14
January
Hubei line construction to start in June
CONSTRUCTION of a high-speed line from Beijing to Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hubei province, is set to begin in June after the Yuan 43.9 billion ($US 6 billion) project was approved by China’s national development and reform commission.
When it opens in 2012, trains will operate at up to 300km/h on the 281km line, although infrastructure will be built to allow 350km/ h operation. Journey times between Beijing and Shijiazhuang will be halved to around one hour.
The project is being co-funded by MOR and the governments of Beijing municipality and Hubei province.
Monday
14
January
Maglev plans in doubt
PLANS to extend Shanghai’s high-speed maglev line to Hongqiao airport and Hangzhou could be dropped following protests by residents and reports that costs for the project could more than double.
According to a report in the China Dailynewspaper, the cost of building the 31.8km extension to Hongqiao through the suburbs of Shanghai could increase to Yuan 500 million/km, up from Yuan 200 million/km, largely because of the need to increase the margin between the track and residential areas.
Residents living close to the route of the proposed line raised their concerns about radiation and noise from the maglev at a protest outside city hall.
Shanghai’s municipal government says it intends to conduct further research and public consultation before any decision is made on whether to proceed with the project.
Copyright Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation Feb 2008
(c) 2008 International Railway Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.