There are more and more high-speed trains in the world. Japan, Russia and Europe are increasingly adapting this technology to make passenger transport much more efficient. Nevertheless, there is a country that is far ahead of the rest of the world in this type of transport, China.
in the last ten years China has built about 40,000 kilometers of rail for high-speed trains, and has established itself as the country with the best high-speed rail system in the world, with a national construction and connection plan that is still in constant growth, as revealed by DW.
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The country has the highest traffic of high-speed trains, and its routes connect almost all the cities of the country in record times. For example, distances that in Europe would take 49 hours to travel by fast train, China manages to cover in only eleven hours.
In contrast with Colombia, Overland journeys in our country are made by car, where a route of around 8 hours would cover 300 kilometers, but on China’s fast trains, the same 8-hour journey can cover distances of up to 1,500 kilometers.
How did China manage to build all this infrastructure?
The outlet explains that the reason China managed to achieve this advanced railway system is because its investment costs are very low. He explains that the cost of each square kilometer of fast train tracks has a cost of between 15 and 18 million euros, while that same kilometer in Europe would cost between 22 and 34 million euros, almost double.
These are some pictures of the train built in China.
This happens because China has the possibility of moving more labor than Europe and with even cheaper materialswhich reduces the cost of construction in addition to the enormous political will that the country has with this project.
Likewise, the laws of the country also play a fundamental role in achieving the construction of these infrastructures. These allow to execute the planning of the roads, even if they have to evict people from their homes, something that would be unthinkable in the West.
Also, these constructions affect the fauna of the place, commitments that in Europe must be respected while China is not obliged to do so if it interferes with the construction project.
The rapid expansion of railways
The start of the construction of high-speed trains began in 2004 and the first line was inaugurated with the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 with a line connecting the city of Beijing with Tianjin, 112 kilometers to the east.
For 2013, five years later, the country had already built 10,000 kilometers of roads, driven by a geopolitical strategy of the government that allows them to build without economic limits, since some of the routes only generate losses, although this is not in the interest of the Chinese Government, which keeps them in constant expansion even if it does not generate economic rewards.
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The ‘Danyang – Kunshan Great Bridge’, in China, was inaugurated in 2011 and is where the high-speed train from Beijing to Shanghai passes.
Now, China has nearly 40,000 kilometers of high-speed rail linesalmost double that of Europe, and they will continue to grow at a dizzying rate, until the Government changes its plans with respect to its political interests.
New technologies in relation to the railway industry
China is not only a leader in rapid railways in the world, but also has become a great exponent in the creation of new technologies for the industry.
Last August he surprised with the launch of a new train that uses a magnetic track to propel itself, something that is popularly known as “suspended magnetic levitation” or “maglev”.
Like a magic world, have you ever seen this kind of #transport?
China’s first permanent magnet maglev #rail transit system engineering test line – “Red Rail” was successfully completed on the 9th in Xingguo County, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province. pic.twitter.com/smoZKQ3dPs— Zhengguan (@ZhengguanCN) August 10, 2022
Its name is ‘Red Rail’ and its system is different from that of other elevated trains, since while traditional models use electromagnets to be able to move, this new release does so by means of permanent magnets that contain rare earth metals, a raw material in which China is power.
Another of the great advantages of this innovative means of transport is the enormous energy savings it offers, but also its great deal with the environment. It should be noted that the train never touches the rails while moving, since it works suspended in the air at about 10 meters above the ground.
SANTIAGO PINZON GIRALDO
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