China is slowing down its bullet trains following complaints the showcase system is dangerously fast and too expensive.
High-speed rail is a national prestige project aimed at showing off China’s technological prowess and rising wealth while linking together its far-flung regions. That makes any decision to scale it back politically sensitive.
The fastest routes will be cut from 350kph to 300kph as of July 1, Chinese Railways Minister Sheng Guangzu (盛光祖) told the People’s Daily.
Sheng was appointed in February after his predecessor was fired amid a graft probe.
“This will offer more safety,” Sheng said. “At the same time, this will allow more variation in ticket prices based on market principles.”
The minister gave no indication whether Beijing might scale back ambitious expansion plans that call for adding thousands of kilometers of high-speed routes.
Former railway minister Liu Zhijun (劉志軍) was the public face of high-speed rail plans and his firing prompted suggestions they might lose momentum. News reports media say accusations against Liu include kickbacks, bribes, illegal contracts and sexual liaisons.
The government signaled a possible shift in attitude when state media began airing complaints early this year. The Global Times newspaper, published by the People’s Daily, called bullet trains “incredibly risky” and said the “railway frenzy” was driven by politics rather than market needs.
China’s trains are based on Japanese, French and German technology, but its manufacturers are trying to sell to Latin America and the Middle East. That has prompted complaints Beijing is violating the spirit of licenses with foreign providers by reselling technology that was meant to be used only in China.
A senior railway official said last year Chinese manufacturers might compete for contracts to build a high-speed line in California.
In China, engineers have warned the system’s top speed is too fast, while others say the multibillion-dollar price tag is too high for a country where millions of families still live in poverty.
China has the world’s biggest train network, with 91,000km of passenger rail and 3.2 million employees. However, trains are overloaded with passengers and cargo, and critics say the money would be better spent expanding cheaper, slower routes.
Government plans call for spending 700 billion yuan (US$106 billion) on railway building this year. Officials say the high-speed network will grow to 13,000km of track by the end of this year and 16,000km by 2020.
The heavy spending on the Hexie Hao (Harmony) bullet trains has prompted complaints Beijing is failing to meet the needs of its poor majority by investing in lower-cost regular service.
As for ticket price complaints, Sheng said the government also would run lower-cost bullet trains at 200kmp to 250kph on trunk lines.
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