| Re: China - railway incidents and infrastructure developments (merged topic) Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 06:13, 7th March 2026 |     |
As ever, in the interests of continuity and ease of future reference for our many members and guests, I have now merged several topics relating specifically to China here.
I have retained the original topic headings, wherever possible, and hope this helps.
CfN.
| Re: China: World's tallest bridge completes key load-bearing test - August 2025 Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 21:14, 27th August 2025 | |
I find that interesting, in that I'm very comfortable with sitting in a window seat on any aircraft taking off (indeed, I request it!) - but I'm scared *itless in any building more than three storeys high with a 'panoramic view' of the exterior.
CfN.
| Re: China: World's tallest bridge completes key load-bearing test - August 2025 Posted by Oxonhutch at 20:38, 27th August 2025 | |
My observation on the fear of heights indicated an age related connection. Glass floor of the CN Tower in Toronto and there was a happy 8 year old sitting cross-legged on the glass floor of the observation platform reading her book while her 14 year old sister wouldn't even step on to it. Youngsters and toddlers were happily running across it.
I did stand on it - because I had to - but I wasn't all together comfortable being there even though my brain told me that it is perfectly safe. Many adults did indeed avoid it.
| Re: China: World's tallest bridge completes key load-bearing test - August 2025 Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 13:33, 27th August 2025 | |
No worries - well, apart from my acrophobia, which means that I have to watch any such videos with my knuckles clenched firmly to my desk.
Thanks, anyway. CfN.
| Re: China: World's tallest bridge completes key load-bearing test - August 2025 Posted by matth1j at 12:17, 27th August 2025 | |
Top hit on youtube: https://youtu.be/cY3eEQeIhyo?si=0bwOD9Og_4rxK5B2
Does look impressive.
EDIT sorry, missed the fact that Chris's post included a (more up to date) link
| China: World's tallest bridge completes key load-bearing test - August 2025 Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 12:11, 27th August 2025 | |
A video news report, from the BBC:
The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in China has undergone a five-day testing process ahead of the scheduled opening in late September.
The load test is the final step before it is considered safe to welcome traffic. A testing team drove 96 trucks onto designated points to test the bridge's structural integrity.
Rising 625m (2,083ft) above a river in Guizhou province, the bridge will upon completion set the record for both the world's tallest bridge and largest span bridge built in a mountainous area.
The load test is the final step before it is considered safe to welcome traffic. A testing team drove 96 trucks onto designated points to test the bridge's structural integrity.
Rising 625m (2,083ft) above a river in Guizhou province, the bridge will upon completion set the record for both the world's tallest bridge and largest span bridge built in a mountainous area.
| Re: China claims new world record for fastest train Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 19:52, 26th December 2024 | |
I think this is just published to be ready for the Daily Mail's next HEADLINE NEWS item about a SPEEDING TRAIN.
| Re: Accident on Chinese subway. Posted by broadgage at 15:21, 15th December 2023 | |
Later reports on lunchtime TV news suggest that the accident was caused by the extreme cold weather affecting the region, down to about minus 40 degrees.
| Accident on Chinese subway. Posted by broadgage at 12:08, 15th December 2023 | |
No fatalities reported, but hundreds injured, and about 100 detained in hospital.
Images show a train divided, and reports refer to a collision, it is not clear whether the collision led to the train becoming divided, or vice versa.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-67724238
| Re: China builds station in 9 hours Posted by IndustryInsider at 10:19, 16th March 2018 | |
Not quite as quick, but Network Rail did manage to construct Workington North in just six days after the flooding in 2009.
| Re: China builds station in 9 hours Posted by martyjon at 06:48, 16th March 2018 | |
Get these Chinese station builders to Portishead, now!
Don't be stupid, this is Britain where it takes 12 months to process a work visa and I don't think even the Chinese are that daft for just one days work !!!!
| Re: China builds station in 9 hours Posted by TaplowGreen at 22:46, 15th March 2018 | |
.....I guess the prospect of being shot and/or sent to a "political re-education camp" should a project overrun concentrates the mind wonderfully.......less Trade Union influence too, and I believe their drivers have to work on Sundays! 🙂
When you control all media, completion dates can be decided after the event and celebrated. Failure you don't hear about.
.......don't give Hopwood any ideas! 😉
| Re: China builds station in 9 hours Posted by trainer at 22:22, 15th March 2018 | |
.....I guess the prospect of being shot and/or sent to a "political re-education camp" should a project overrun concentrates the mind wonderfully.......less Trade Union influence too, and I believe their drivers have to work on Sundays! 🙂
When you control all media, completion dates can be decided after the event and celebrated. Failure you don't hear about.
| Re: China builds station in 9 hours Posted by TaplowGreen at 22:10, 15th March 2018 | |
.....I guess the prospect of being shot and/or sent to a "political re-education camp" should a project overrun concentrates the mind wonderfully.......less Trade Union influence too, and I believe their drivers have to work on Sundays! 🙂
| Re: China builds station in 9 hours Posted by JayMac at 19:38, 15th March 2018 | |
Get these Chinese station builders to Portishead, now!
| Re: China builds station in 9 hours Posted by grahame at 18:58, 15th March 2018 | |
Love the comments
We used to be able to do this kind of stuff in the UK: over the weekend of 21-22 May 1892, 3,500 workers converted 177 miles of the Great Western Railway from broad gauge to standard gauge. We couldn't do it now.
We could, we've just lost a will.
| Re: China builds station in 9 hours Posted by trainer at 18:35, 15th March 2018 | |
In a culture where the needs of 'the group/community' has a higher priority than the needs of the individual, some things can be done which perhaps can be admired in their outcomes but not so in their execution.
| China builds station in 9 hours Posted by lordgoata at 15:55, 15th March 2018 | |
Don't recall seeing this mentioned here, but someone just sent it to me
I'm sure some health and safety would have slowed them down a little though 
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/chinese-workers-productivity-build-nanlong-railway-station-nine-hours-longyan-a8173881.html
| Re: China Train Crash leaves at least 35 people dead Posted by broadgage at 09:09, 29th July 2011 | |
Interesting article in todays Times, refers to the political/financial impact of this accident.
Whilst burying or otherwise disposing of the wreckage without thorough examination is not how we would do it, it must be said that detailed examination of the wrecked train probably would not reveal anything.
There has been no suggestion of brake failure or other mechanical failure on the train, therefore perhaps not much point in examining it.
Reports strongly suggest either failure of the signaling equipment, or human error in the use of this equipment.
Therefore it is the signalling equipment and persons connected with it that require examination, not the wreckage of the train.
| Re: China Train Crash leaves at least 35 people dead Posted by Worcester_Passenger at 22:28, 28th July 2011 | |
I think that this accident will end up being more important politically.
The news reports that I've read, including http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/25/world/asia/25train.html?_r=2 from the New York Times, are describing the way in which the official media are trying to cover up the accident. Including an astonishing suggestion that some of the wreckage has been buried at the crash site (without the thorough examination that would be done over here). Perhaps the apparatchiks are hoping for the ultimate case of out of sight, out of mind. But I don't think they'll succeed.
| Re: China Train Crash leaves at least 35 people dead Posted by broadgage at 12:03, 28th July 2011 | |
This report suggests a fault in the signaling system, though it gives little detail.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14321060
| Re: China Train Crash leaves at least 35 people dead Posted by paul7575 at 20:50, 25th July 2011 | |
I'm rather surprised the 'anti HS2 lobby' haven't jumped on this story as a reason not to build it. Mr Wolmar must be on holiday...
Note the gratuitous use of the term 'bullet train' in most articles - presumably that's just to amplify the problem, whatever it eventually turns out to be.
Paul
| Re: China Train Crash leaves at least 35 people dead Posted by eightf48544 at 20:35, 25th July 2011 | |
Hopefully the Railway press will cover this tragic incident.
Can't expect the national papers to understand they still think railway siganlling is simialr to roads with traffic lights which go to red randomly just as the train approches. The concept of blocks protected by a signal indicating stop, which only changes to a proceed indication when the block is clear is beyond their comprehension. They wouldn't know a Track circuit from an axle counter or balaise.
| Re: China Train Crash leaves at least 35 people dead Posted by ChrisB at 16:29, 25th July 2011 | |
so?.....informed guesses can surely be discussed?
If not, what's the point of leaving the thread open?
| Re: China Train Crash leaves at least 35 people dead Posted by JayMac at 16:23, 25th July 2011 | |
As far as I'm aware, newspapers are not charged with investigating rail crashes. They can speculate and quote 'sources' but that can't be taken as definitive.
| Re: China Train Crash leaves at least 35 people dead Posted by ChrisB at 15:45, 25th July 2011 | |
I think its probably common knowledge - it was in my morning papers today - happen ed over the weekend.
| Re: China Train Crash leaves at least 35 people dead Posted by thetrout at 15:17, 25th July 2011 | |
Both trains were destined for the same destination.
But may I suggest that we do not speculate into what has happened, until it has become common knowledge!
As always, thoughts are with those involved.
| Re: China Train Crash leaves at least 35 people dead Posted by ChrisB at 14:27, 25th July 2011 | |
ERTMS in-cab that failed? Don't know how long the failed train had been stationary? The second might have only been minutes behind?
| Re: China Train Crash leaves at least 35 people dead Posted by broadgage at 14:17, 25th July 2011 | |
Seems like a lack of basic signalling.
Signal failure ? Driver of second train did not respond to the signal?
Press reports seem to concentrate on the lack of power on the first train which was disabled by lightning.
But even basic signalling should not be reliant on any power source on the train which is of course vulnerable.
Human observation, and then track circuits, and more recently axle counters, have been used to ensure that the whole train has safey passed through a section before a second train may be admitted.
This has been a basic principle for decades, and is especialy important at higher speeds.
No mention of what signalling system was in use.
| China - railway incidents and developments - merged topic Posted by thetrout at 14:00, 25th July 2011 | |
From the Independent:
A bullet train crashed into another high-speed train in eastern China, killing at least 35 people, injuring 191 others and once again raising safety concerns about the country's fast-expanding rail network.
The first train was traveling south from the Zhejiang provincial capital of Hangzhou yesterday evening when it lost power in a lightning strike and stalled, before being hit from behind by the second train in Wenzhou city, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
The first train was traveling south from the Zhejiang provincial capital of Hangzhou yesterday evening when it lost power in a lightning strike and stalled, before being hit from behind by the second train in Wenzhou city, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
Full Article:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/at-least-35-killed-in-china-train-crash-2319693.html
| Re: China claims new world record for fastest train Posted by Brucey at 11:54, 29th October 2010 | |
| Re: China claims new world record for fastest train Posted by 6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01 at 11:52, 29th October 2010 | |
oh god now were quoting wiki as accurate
| Re: China claims new world record for fastest train Posted by JayMac at 15:04, 26th October 2010 | |
BBC wrong as usual.
BBC were quoting 'officials in China....' The video report also says '...it looks like...'
So a little unfair to criticise the BBC for being wrong.
| Re: China claims new world record for fastest train Posted by SDS at 14:56, 26th October 2010 | |
BBC wrong as usual.
quote from wiki.
The world record for conventional high-speed rail is held by the V150, a specially configured version of Alstom's TGV which clocked 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph) on a test run. The world speed record for Maglev is held by the japanese experimental MLX01: 581 km/h (361 mph).
| Re: China claims new world record for fastest train Posted by JayMac at 13:39, 26th October 2010 | |
Not even close. Shanghai's Maglev Train runs in service up to 268 mph.
France's TGV has a record of 357.2 mph
Japan's JR-Maglev has a record of 361 mph
The Chinese need to clarify the conditions. They may have broken the record for the fastest 'unmodified conventional wheel/rail' train.
| China - railway incidents and infrastructure developments (merged topic) Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 13:08, 26th October 2010 | |
Video report, from the BBC:
Officials in China say they have set the world record for the fastest train travelling at 262 miles per hour.
Two bullet trains travelled between Shanghai's western suburb of Hongqiao and Hangzhou to inaugurate a new high speed rail line, clocking up the record breaking speed along the way.
Two bullet trains travelled between Shanghai's western suburb of Hongqiao and Hangzhou to inaugurate a new high speed rail line, clocking up the record breaking speed along the way.
