China plans high speed network

Yes the topic is high speed rail but the most important thing in high speed rail is the power supply just like the heart is the most important organ in our body and the power supply is the most important component in any apparatus. We need to look at the big picture. The cheapest way to power these high speed trains is fusion reactors not if but when fusion energy is mastered. We need to encourage our gov't to do it as soon as possible as I am doing, The train systems in our country whether high speed or freight will be powered by electricity generated by our fusion reactor plants in the future, I say if we put our minds into it it will be sooner whether than later. The USA can do anything not China. You people are overrating China. They have taken great strides the last twenty years. But they are still very primitive and as a whole generally speaking not very smart. What we need to do is write our congress and have them get on the ball and keep it rolling.

In a train forum, we have to assume there will be an electricity industry. There is no point in speculating about things that may or may not happen in that industry.

george matthews wrote:

the title of the thread is that China plans high speed network , so we should get back to talking about that .

I hope the new government in the US, composed as it seems of intelligent people for a change, will notice that modern states need high speed trains. China is going to be the world's largest economy before long (various estimates are available).
Electrification for frequent services is the method chosen in most areas. Oil is not likely to remain at its present low price for long. That has implications for the use of private cars and also of disel powered transport. One reason for introducing High Speed rail is to free space on the conventional lines for freight displaced by high diesel costs from the road.

I will say no more about fusion power.

I would think thinks look alot more positive in the USA for high speed rail . Califionia especially .
I'm wondering if Chinese built high speed trains would help to lower the costs .

I'm wondering if Chinese built high speed trains would help to lower the costs.

They have a law that public money must be spent on things made inside the US. As they need all the jobs they can get that rule is not going to be relaxed. In any case there are the safety rules making their trains too heavy. Not even the Chinese are going to design special overweight trains.

Some British rail companies have considered buying Chinese equipment, but I don't think any has been ordered.

Seems like the Chinese are dead serious about trains especially high speed. They had recently ordered 500 of GEs latest locomotive, the 6,000 plus hp and they are trying to develope their own. On top of that they are trying to jump start their slowing economy by giving $700B dollars to upgrading their infrastructure of which $300B will go to railroads, most of that is for high speed rails. $300B goes a long way in China, this is like 100,000 miles worth of rails and their trains.

Unbelieveable, the Chinese have actually built a locomotive which they can market. Besides England there are several countries that are interested in this locomotive, the specs are JT56ACe, 6,000 HP, 120KmH or 75 mph and they claimed that it is the most fuel efficient in the world and produces the least emission. Would 75 mph qualify it as a high speed locomotive? I know it has a lot of power but there are many locomotives that are faster.

sunsetcc333 wrote:Unbelieveable, the Chinese have actually built a locomotive which they can market. Besides England there are several countries that are interested in this locomotive, the specs are JT56ACe, 6,000 HP, 120KmH or 75 mph and they claimed that it is the most fuel efficient in the world and produces the least emission. Would 75 mph qualify it as a high speed locomotive? I know it has a lot of power but there are many locomotives that are faster.

Why are you surprised? Have you any idea how many engineering graduates there are in China?

75 mph is not high speed. That's a slow speed freight design.

The Chinese equipment being considered in Britain was DMUs. Locomotives are not the main means of moving passenger trains, outside the US.

Since George you are from Britain you probably know more about the Chinese than I do. But what surprizes me is that they have come such a long way and so fast. Some of their engineering feats with railroads are indeed remarkable like the high altitude Qingshan-Lhasa railroad, over 16,000 feet at one point. Would this railroad and its trains qualify as high speed?
In some places I believe the trains traveled at speeds over 100 mph. If China could do something like that why couldn't we in America.

If China could do something like that why couldn't we in America.

Political will. During the period of cheap energy Americans forgot about trains.

Most of China is very densely settled which means there is a huge demand for travel, which can never be met by private cars.

The thing to remember is that almost every industrial country has trains faster than the US. 100mph is not considered high speed. The regular three times hourly trains on third rail in the south of London do that speed on parts of the track all the time. Not even 125 mph is considered high speed.

In America any train over 75 mph is considered fast. Wow in other parts of the world even 125 mph is not that fast. We must have forgotten about the train, it has not change much here in America. Too bad that our $700B plus bailout does not include upgrading our trains and rails. I need to write the vongress about that.

Too bad that our $700B plus bailout does not include upgrading our trains and rails.

Obama isn't in office yet. However, I think he is well disposed towards doing something for rail transport.

In California we have just passed a proposition to have fast rails from S.F., S,.J. , L.A. and Sacto connected but it is going to take a long time . A state of 43 million definitely need something like this.