Safety concerns

Doubts have risen about the safety of CRH trains since their high-speed metal boxes hit the rails.

Many passengers began to ask of the new transportation technology, “Can we really trust the high-speed trains? Can their safety be guaranteed when traveling at an unprecedented speed of 200 km per hour?”

Since their debut on April 18, high-speed trains have experienced several delays for problems including power shutdown and brake failure. A survey conducted by the Chinese mega-portal Sina.com, found 31.94 percent of respondents were concerned about safety following the sixth speed upgrade, ranking third after price and whether the speed boost would ease chronic train ticket shortages.

To dispel public doubts, the country’s railway authorities explained that it is a complicated thing to run the new high-speed trains. Anything wrong with the circuitry, electricity supply, telecommunication controls or the driver’s lack of steering experience could trigger the automatic self-protection mechanism and stop the train.

High-speed trains increase risks for people who walk across the railway lines or who stand too close to traveling trains. Experts say that it takes only 9 seconds for a bullet train to travel 500 meters, and when one passes it creates a strong wind current that could unbalance and drag in someone standing too close.

It has been reported that railway accidents have increased since the fifth speed boost in 2004. Because of this, some experts are urging the railway sector to put in place more railings and warning signs, invest more money in safety facilities and boost the pubic awareness of traffic safety, in order to ensure a safer rail network.

Price and equality

While the speed and comfort of China’s high-speed trains have been met with appreciation by the country’s traveling public, their cost has not.

Tickets for the country’s new bullet train services went on sale several days before the sixth speed boost on April 18, and there was nothing high-speed about the public’s response with local media reporting that just a handful of ticket-collecting hobbyists, media workers and youngsters attracted by the high-speed experience had bought advance tickets for the new service.

Railway officials said that the indifferent market reaction was consistent with passengers’ normal buying habits. “Bullet trains are used on intercity routes for journeys that generally take less than three hours. When passengers are traveling such short distances, they seldom buy their tickets in advance,” an official said.

But that is unlikely to be the sole reason for the slow ticket sales. There is also the issue of price. While bullet trains can travel at up to 250 km per hour and cut journey times by an average of 20-30 percent, the high-speed experience is also costly with travel fares about 50 percent higher than the current express trains because of “greater costs, faster speeds and better services,” said Wang Yongping, a spokesman with the Ministry of Railways.

For example, a passenger traveling from Beijing to Zhengzhou, capital of central China’s Henan Province, would pay a minimum of 213 yuan for the five-hour journey by bullet train. A soft-seat ticket for a T-type service, however, costs just 94 yuan and takes 90 minutes longer.

“Business people cheer for the speed boost as for them time is money, but for the large number of students and migrant workers, speed doesn’t mean much to us. What we are concerned about is how many affordable train services are left for us,” said a student from Henan.

According to the Sina.com survey, price was the top concern among rail travelers with 58.8 percent expressing concern about a rise.

Controversy has begun mounting around ticket prices, with many calling the rise unreasonable or even illegal. Hao Jinsong, a Chinese “legal warrior” who has sued national ministries, commissions and monopolistic groups nine times for the public welfare, said he is preparing to bring the Ministry of Railways to court, accusing it of setting the train ticket price without a price hearing, which violates the Price Law of the People’s Republic of China.

Price is not the only concern. “The speedup of bullet trains usually comes at the cost of slowing down regular trains,” said Chu Yimin, a newspaper commentator.

Chu is worried that the speed boost could end up benefiting only high-end passengers while leaving the mass of regular travelers, including the millions of migrant workers who travel long distances every year, in a worse position. “I hope the speed boost will not lose the essence of fairness and equality,” he said.

The price dispute has put pressure on the Ministry of Railways, which recently said it is considering cutting ticket prices for bullet train services.

Discounts can be offered for high-speed train tickets according to different travel regions and seasons, said railway ministry spokesman Wang Yongping.