Chinese technology gets derailed in spectacular crash

[AsahinaKimi]

A Chinese high-speed train is shown at Zhejiang province's Hangzhou Station, which is located on the line on which the July 23 derailment accident occurred. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Within the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government, the nation's high-speed railway network construction has been called a project to save face since it was completed with its own "independently developed" technology.

On July 23, however, two of the trains on the network collided, causing one of the trains to derail.

As China's history of high-speed trains is shorter than those of Japan and Europe, the derailment will deal a heavy blow to Beijing's strategy for exporting its high-speed railway system.

Since the accident, Chinese have posted critical messages on the Internet. One read, "The accident is a shame of the country." Another said, "China will be ridiculed by Germany and Japan."

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http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201107250341.html


Criticism spreads as China buries car in high-speed train disaster

Criticism within China over a high-speed train accident that killed 35 has shifted from attacks against a lack of safety measures to accusations of a government cover-up.

Early on July 24, less than a day after the accident on the Hexie (harmony) train line, seven loading shovels were seen digging a hole to bury the front car of the bullet train that had rear-ended a train that had stopped due to a power outage caused by lightning.

While the Hexie name and CRH letters indicating the train was part of the high-speed railway system were visible at first, the loading shovels crushed the car to erase such labels.

more..
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201107250340.html

[valerief]

1. That was a horrible accident, but I can't help thinking they're ashamed of this technology

failure, and we've got a crapload of foot-shooting Merkans dang proud of their sabotaging teabagger pols.

[Warpy]

2. The accident was caused by a lightning strike, not poor technology

and it's hard to see what they're ashamed of.

However, I can imagine they want to keep confidence high in their rail system and that's why the logos on the cars were obscured.

It was a horrible accident but it said nothing about inferior technology.

Give them five years, their lightning protection systems will be the envy of the world.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

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[AsahinaKimi]

15. I sure hope they help us

With the building of the Bullet trains here. I would rather have their expertise than the Chinese. It seems China has a few bugs to work out.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

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[RandySF]

19. That reminds me of a friend

I have a friend in China who was on the quality control team of a local company. She privately told me that the workers made so many flawed pieces that were unfit for shipping that she only bought Japanese products whenever possible.

[hobbit709]

6. If the train was stopped the second one should have stopped too.

where was the track monitoring system?

[Warpy]

10. Right, I wondered about that

It sounds like the lightning wiped out the system. The first train did the correct thing and stopped when the engineer saw an inoperative signal.

The only question is why the second engineer didn't stop if that had been the case.

Unfortunately, China doesn't have NTSA and the second engineer is most likely among the dead.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

7. Who coulda ever imagined lightning would strike?

Who designed the system? Condi Rice?

[joshcryer]

16. The accident was caused by a systems engineering failure, and thus represents poor technology.

The burying of innocent people without checking for survivors was caused by a socio-political failure.

[joshcryer]

4. a four-year-old girl who was found alive in the wreckage at 4pm on Sunday

Mr Wang was shouted at by reporters, however, after he fielded questions on a four-year-old girl who was found alive in the wreckage at 4pm on Sunday, at least six hours after a formal announcement that all the bodies in the carriages had been removed. Mr Wang said the discovery was a "miracle".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/8658959/Anger-in-China-as-bodies-fall-from-carriages-during-train-crash-clean-up.html

:cry:

[cherokeeprogressive]

5. The Chinese shouldn't worry. Immelt and GE are gonna hook 'em up.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904772304576467873321597208.html

[and-justice-for-all]

8. Shits gonna happen folks...

it does not mean the tech is bad, means accidents are going to happen. Germany has no place to critize China, they just had a rail accident this year; and it was a train that I had rode in..

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[and-justice-for-all]

11. Ok....

:eyes:

[joshcryer]

13. Shit is going to happen, yes, but burying a train full of bodies as they fall out...

...is pretty much not necessary.

Anyone who doesn't bury a train load of people in the ground with survivors still present certainly has a place to criticize China.

[RandySF]

12. I guess the Chinese are more like us than I thought

They're just as willing to cut corners to save money and meet deadlines as any American contractor.

[joshcryer]

14. China is the epitome of corporate capitalist hegmony. It's like something out of the twilight zone.

Our corporations here only wish they had that impunity.

[Art_from_Ark]

18. "Independently developed" technology, my ass

Basically, China licensed the technology from Japan, Germany, France and Canada, put a Chinese coat of paint on it and is now claiming it as its own.

http://www.businessinsider.com/china-files-patents-on-high-speed-rail-in-japan-and-europe-2011-6

[AsahinaKimi]

21. wow Art san.

Did you read some of the Racist comments on that site? Sickening!

[Art_from_Ark]

24. Actually, I didn't read any of the comments

After reading a few, I will agree, some of those comments are pretty over the top. I had just heard on Japanese news about Japanese and German complaints about China passing off licensed bullet train technology as its own and just linked to the first site I found that had an English-language article about it. I didn't even check if there was a comments section. :hide:

[Forkboy]

20. "China wants US high-speed rail contract."

http://www.china.org.cn/video/2011-05/17/content_22583184.htm

[AsahinaKimi]

22. I hope the US goes with Japan..

I have a feeling since America owes money to China for loans, they will be forced to get Chinese technology. Lets hope not.

[Forkboy]

23. That would make more sense, but I haven't heard anymore about Japan's involvement since last year.

I don't know where it stands now, but I would imagine the events in China might be making some rethink things.

These are the most recent stories I could find, and they both go back over a year ago.

http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/smart-takes/japan-seeks-to-export-high-speed-rail-expertise-to-us/6819

http://www.usjhsr.com/USJHSR/News_%26_Links.html

[Art_from_Ark]

25. Japan definitely has an excellent Bullet Train system

Ever since the original line (Tokyo-Osaka) opened on October 1, 1964, Japan's bullet trains ("Shinkansen") have been noted for their safety, comfort, speed and punctuality.