U.S. Left in the Dust as China Unveils World's Fastest High Speed Train

Daily Tech ^ | June 7, 2010 | Jason Mick

[Willie Green]

China's $1T USD high speed rail gambit leaps ahead

High speed rail is right up there with electric vehicles when it comes to promising green solutions to transportation in the new millennium. High speed rail uses electricity and mass-transit to drastically cut emissions when compared to automobile travel. And it's expected to be far faster and more cost effective transportation method, albeit with some big up front costs for infrastructure. Much as the original coal-burning locomotive and oil-burning automobile revolutionized transportation in the 19th and 20th centuries, the electric locomotive looks to transform society in the 21st century.

The U.S. under President Barack Obama has committed $13B USD in high speed rail investment. That seems somewhat impressive until one hears about China's high speed rail commitment. China has already spent $259B USD on high speed rail and plans on spending a total of $1T USD by 2020 to install 16,000 miles of high speed rail track -- or roughly 1/3 of the length of the U.S.'s total interstate highway system.

China put the exclamation point on its efforts last week with the unveiling of its flagship high speed rail model, the 380A train. With a 236 miles per hour top cruising speed, the train is the world's fastest.

A handful of maglev trains can beat the 380A in top speed, but they are unable to sustain a faster average speed. The "380" part of its name comes from its 236 mph cruising speed which translates into 380 kilometers per hour. The train will offer a 4 hour ride between Shanghai and Beijing. That cuts the trip time to less than a third of the driving time (12 to 13 hours).

A Chinese firm, Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., makes the impressive vehicles. The first production model, the "He Xie", was unveiled last week at a ceremony in Changchun, the capital of the northeastern province of Jilin in China. At the ceremony, the Chinese government pledged to purchase 100 of the speedy trains.

High speed rail will provide the Chinese economy with a unique advantage as it continues to grow and expand. Business travelers will be able to make trips much faster and regain literally weeks in productivity each year. And carbon emissions, long a sore spot for China, will be cut in a way that's actually beneficial for the economy.

Meanwhile, the U.S. sees its own plans for high speed rail stalled as it ponders potentially less effective solutions for carbon control like "carbon-credits". The 380A and China's high speed rail ambitions have led some to question if the U.S. will be left behind as the rest of the world embraces high speed rail.

[KevinDavis]

I prefer we stay #1 in aviation and rocketry... I can care less about rail...

[Heliand]

Does the fare cover the cost of the ride?

I guess it depends on who is doing the accounting.

P.S. Let me know where and when I can collect my dividend check from all those profits that the public roads make for us as owners.

[Heliand]

AND the payment of massive tax subsidies, typically amounting to 85% of the fare.

Have you ever calculated the subsidy for the typical interstate? Its not hard. Take the daily vehicle miles on the road, multiple by the average miles per gallon of the vehicles on the road, and then multiply by the gas tax paid per gallon. Then go back and compare to the cost of a mile of new or rebuilt road, including finance charges, opportunity cost, maintenance, police, and forgone property taxes.

Hint - compare the cost per mile via payment of the gas tax on a "freeway" with the cost per mile on a non-subsidized toll road to start getting a feel for the subsidy level.

And those taxes are paid by those who derive NO benefit from the toy trains whatsoever.

Can you explain the benefit to me of my subsidizing your driving? If I drive 95%+ of my miles on local streets and toll roads, but I still pay gas taxes which only go to cover costs on interstates and major freeways, as near as I can tell I am essentialy sending you a check to cover the actual cost of your driving. When are people like you going to stop freeloading off the rest of us?

[longtermmemmory]

instead you want traffic backed up because the houston people mover has killed another person or crashed into another car?

thousands of self driving vehicles can be coordinated to make use of the various roads and parking. It also makes it less necessary to live in “hells kitchen” rathole cities. (see NYC, detroit, chicago, etc)

[Mr. Blonde]

Dude I’m all for a mix of options. I don’t think having just cars is a good idea. Just public transport isn’t a good one either. However, there is a happy medium that can be for the betterment of cities.