How Europe's night trains came back from the deadĬhina initially relied on high-speed technology imported from Europe and Japan to establish its network. However, what took decades in the 19th and early 20th centuries is being achieved in just a few years by China. The development of railway networks in Russia – most notably the Trans-Siberian Railway – Prussia, France, Italy and the British Empire, among others, were strongly influenced by political and military demands as well as economic development. In that sense, it could be argued that China is repeating railway history many early railways in North America, Europe and the colonies of the European empires were built with similar goals. A famous example in which Xi takes a lot of pride is the Xiong’an New Area in Hebei province, around 60 miles southwest of Beijing.” “His scheme is grand in that it extends beyond just simply connecting existing towns, but existing towns with new mega-towns that are being constructed from scratch. “It is also meant to be reflective of his ‘new development philosophy,’ of which ‘coordinated development’ is a key concept. Olivia Cheung, research fellow at the China Institute of the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). “The building of these new railways forms part of Xi Jinping’s grand plan of ‘integrating the vast national market,’” says Dr. Much like Japan’s Shinkansen in the 1960s, they are a symbol of the country’s economic power, rapid modernization, growing technological prowess and increasing prosperity.įor China’s ruling Communist Party and its leader Xi Jinping, high-speed rail is also a powerful tool for social cohesion, political influence and the integration of disparate regions with distinct cultures into the mainstream. In contrast, the UK currently has just 107 kilometers while the United States has only one rail route that (just about) qualifies for high-speed status – Amtrak’s North East Corridor, where Acela trains currently top out at 240 kph on expensively rebuilt sections of existing line shared with commuter and freight trains.Ĭhina’s ambition is to make high-speed rail the mode of choice for domestic long-distance travel, but these new railways have a much greater significance. ![]() Spain, which has Europe’s most extensive high-speed network and occupies second place in the global league table, is a minnow in comparison with just over 2,000 miles of dedicated lines built for operation at over 250 kph. With maximum speeds of 350 kph (217 mph) on many lines, intercity travel has been transformed and the dominance of airlines has been broken on the busiest routes.īy 2020, 75% of Chinese cities with a population of 500,000 or more had a high-speed rail ink. ![]() The network is expected to double in length again, to 70,000 kilometers, by 2035. Half of that total has been completed in the last five years alone, with a further 3,700 kilometers due to open in the coming months of 2021. China debuts train prototype that can hit speeds of 620 kilometers per hour
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