China on Thursday rolled off the production line a prototype magnetic-levitation train with a designed top speed of 600 km per hour in the eastern city of Qingdao.
The debut of China's first high-speed maglev train testing prototype marks a major breakthrough for the country in the high-speed maglev transit system.
The testing prototype, which has one car only, can check and optimize the key technologies and core system components of the high-speed maglev system and lay a technological basis for the forthcoming engineering prototype, said Ding Sansan, head of the train's research and development team and deputy chief engineer of CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co., the train builder.
China is the third-largest country in the world by area. If they successfully implement a high-speed rail network, will American objections to scale finally be overcome?
(Score: 2) by Nuke on Sunday May 26 2019, @10:07AM (1 child)
No I would not invest in US rail, not because there are no routes that could be profitable, but because I know that the paranoid opposition to rail in the USA, and the generally out-dated view of rail there, prevent it ever being built, or operated properly even if built, and my investment would just be spent on lawyers fighting losing battles and on out-of-date operating practices. People like yourself broadcasting that it is uneconomic make what you are saying self-fulfilling. Rail is a long term investment anyway which does not suit current attitudes.
FWIW I have had shares in certain UK railway companies, and done OK.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday May 26 2019, @11:37PM
Like what? Don't confuse opposition to projects that don't do much and cost much with a private project that would neatly sidestep most of those objections.
It's uneconomical because it delivers much less value than it would cost, not because of my mental failwaves. Most proposed and existing high speed rail projects in the world have this problem. It's not somehow unique to US attitudes concerning rail projects.