Trouble down the track for HSR builders in China?

Article from the Economist (UK), about how the current bonanza of orders for HSR trainsets for China's burgeoning system may come back to haunt the foreign suppliers in the future, due to the large amount of technology transfer occuring. Alstom has raised concerns about this in the past, having been burned in South Korea with their TGV technology. Also interesting info about the setup of the companies building the rail infrastructure in China (lots of ex-PLA involvement):

http://www.economist.com/businessfinanc ... d=15276738

Appearing in Tomorrow's New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/13/busin ... 3rail.html

Brief passage:

• WUHAN, China — The world’s largest human migration — the annual crush of Chinese traveling home to celebrate the Lunar New Year, which is this Sunday — is going a little faster this time thanks to a new high-speed rail line.
  
  
  The Chinese bullet train, which has the world’s fastest average speed, connects Guangzhou, the southern coastal manufacturing center, to Wuhan, deep in the interior. In a little more than three hours, it travels 664 miles, comparable to the distance from Boston to southern Virginia. That is less time than Amtrak’s fastest train, the Acela, takes to go from Boston just to New York.
  
  Even more impressive, the Guangzhou-to-Wuhan train is just one of 42 high-speed lines recently opened or set to open by 2012 in China. By comparison, the United States hopes to build its first high-speed rail line by 2014, an 84-mile route linking Tampa and Orlando, Fla.

So much for the days of hordes clad in Olive Drab and little Red stars on their hats parading around chanting Maospeak.

Yes , Mr Norman , the videos ive seen shot from Chinese trains lately , are very different from the scenes described by Paul Theroux , in his travel books of the 70's / 80 's .

David Benton wrote:Yes , Mr Norman , the videos ive seen shot from Chinese trains lately , are very different from the scenes described by Paul Theroux , in his travel books of the 70's / 80 's .

China is changing at a rate difficult to imagine. Very rapidly it is acquiring the symbols of modernity. Whether its economy is "sound" or not is a big question but it certainly looks modern, in the towns.

Local train operators in Britain have considered ordering EMUs from China. I am not sure whether they have actually ordered any.

Yes , Mr Norman , the videos ive seen shot from Chinese trains lately , are very different from the scenes described by Paul Theroux , in his travel books of the 70's / 80 's .

Certainly, when talking about the shiny new HSR lines. But the working class can't afford to ride those, so they go by tried and true loco hauled trains:

i guess the ladies learn not to wear a skirt if they want to board a train in a hurry .