World's fastest train unveiled in China

[scooterscot]

Love how those two stories were side by side:

BBC News - World's fastest train unveiled in China

As China's economy and population expand, so do its transport needs. Although car ownership is on the increase, the Government is investing more in the railways.
China now has the fastest train in the world. It runs from the central city of Wuhan down to the south coast, at a speed of more than 380km/h.

BBC NEWS | England | High-speed Javelin arrives early

The UK's first high-speed commuter train arrived in London one minute early, reaching London St Pancras 36 minutes after leaving Ashford, Kent.

[TimberWolf]

Check this out:

Indian Megaprojects - SkyscraperCity
China Mega projects - SkyscraperCity

Too much big stuff going on to even read about.

[Unwitting Catalyst]

Railway projects are somewhat different in China and UK

Cost of building highspeed line in China = cost of bulldozing anything in the way between point a and point b, then laying track/build bridges/tunnels etc. Total cost £250 million for 100 miles of line

Cost of building highspeed line in Uk - 38 public enquiries, 10,000 rail "specialists" adding value by doing nothing, 25,000 unskilled monkeys with no rail experience building the "infrastructure", 10,000 proper engineers to correct screw-ups made by unskilled moneys (mainly on signalling). Total cost : £38 billion for a line with stretches running no faster than 60 miles an hour.

Three options;
(1) get the Chinese to do the work for a fixed fee
(2) stick to airports - infrastructure is Airport A and Airport B, not 100 miles of densely populated country
(3) Forget it - accept your limitations and avoid the heartache

[SimonMac]

While in the uk

BBC News - Train services cancelled "due to heat"

[Mich the Tester]

While in the uk

BBC News - Train services cancelled "due to heat"

Wrong kind of heat?

[vetran]

Check this out:

Indian Megaprojects - SkyscraperCity
China Mega projects - SkyscraperCity

Too much big stuff going on to even read about.

Do you think when they build these all of them will have signs on them saying 'paid for by the UK overseas aid budget'?