Didn't we just post an excellent article about the Japanese Shinkansen and why it's not an appropriate role model for envious California which lusts after all the shiny, speedy toys that other countries have?
Well, China has also been teaching us some lessons, perhaps inadvertendly. They over-reached. The world-wide press is full of articles about all this. China wanted to build the biggest, baddest, fastest, grooviest, longest high-speed rail network in the world to show us how superior they are to the rest of the industrial nations. And, our eyes turned green as they put down more miles of HSR track faster than anyone ever did.
Now, it is becoming apparent, that, among other things, haste makes waste. So does corruption, of which they have plenty to the degree that they had to can the head of their HSR program. Also, shoddy construction raised belated panic. (Who knew??) But, that's not all.
They charged too much for the HSR ride, and are running near-empty trains. So, they had to slow them down and take out all the fancy fittings for more proletarian seating. Now, lo and behold, they have been playing fast and loose with their environmental laws. Fortunately, we wouldn't dream of doing that here, in California. Right?
And, surprise, surprise, the costs have made a huge dent on their debt burden. Let's not even get into a discussion about profits. After all, this is communist China.
So, now it's time for China to re-think its high-speed rail ambitions. Before we slide down this slippery slope in the US, shouldn't we also be re-thinking high-speed rail, especially in California, before we make such a huge mistake of it.
What's that you say, China's situation can never happen here? It's already started and we haven't even begun digging holes.
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http://www.masstransitmag.com/news/10272076/china-high-speed-rail-lines-halted
MASS TRANSIT
China High-Speed Rail Lines Halted
Updated: May 20, 2011
China has ordered one high-speed rail line to stop running and halted the construction of another due to violations of environmental protection laws.
The move marked the latest setback for China's high-speed links after Beijing sacked railways minister Liu Zhijun in February for allegedly taking more than 800 million yuan ($121 million) in kickbacks.
Liu's alleged graft was reportedly linked to contracts for high-speed rail expansion and the scandal raised concerns that the network was growing too fast at the expense of safety.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection has ordered a halt to construction of a line linking the northern cities of Tianjin and Qinhuangdao because its route had been changed without approval, said a statement posted Wednesday on the ministry's website.
It also ordered a line in eastern Shandong province linking Qingdao and Jinan to stop running because it has not yet passed an environmental assessment, according to an order on the website dated April 25.
Liu's successor, Sheng Guangzu, has said trains would run at slower speeds -- 300 kilometres (185 miles) per hour instead of 350 kph -- than originally planned to make the lines safer and more affordable.
China also said it would cut railway investment this year after a massive push to expand the high-speed network also raised worry over the government's heavy debt burden, state media reported.
Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, a non-governmental organisation, said the suspensions could be a sign that environmental assessments are being taken more seriously.
"Many projects started construction before getting evaluations, and some evaluations did not recognise potential risks to the environment," he was quoted as saying by the China Daily.
He said the results of such assessments can be influenced by developers and local governments in China pursuing economic development.
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