“In less than two decades, China has created the largest and most advanced high-speed rail system in the world,” mentioned International Union of Railways Chairman Alan Beroud. “It’s reshaping mobility, the economy and regional development.”
BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) — Weeks after the conclusion of the twelfth International Union of Railways (UIC) World Congress on High-Speed Rail, business leaders are nonetheless taking stock of China’s speedy railway growth and its increasing international affect.
Held from July 8 to 11 within the Chinese capital Beijing, the congress drew over 2,000 individuals from greater than 60 nations, areas and worldwide organizations. For many, the occasion provided firsthand perception into China’s achievements and offered a possible roadmap for enhancing international connectivity.
“In less than two decades, China has created the largest and most advanced high-speed rail system in the world,” mentioned UIC Chairman Alan Beroud. “It’s reshaping mobility, the economy and regional development.”
A TRANSFORMATIONAL NETWORK
China’s high-speed rail community spans about 48,000 km and connects practically each metropolis with a inhabitants of over 500,000, which is a “vital toolkit” for nationwide cohesion and development, as described by Kevin Smith, editor-in-chief of Britain’s International Railway Journal.
“Nobody has done this sort of network expansion in a short period,” mentioned Dennis Noble, an engineer with Queensland Rail in Australia. “It’s very commendable, and something others can look forward to.”
Visitors on the congress skilled China’s newest trains, together with the CR400 Fuxing and the prototype of 450 km/h CR450, the world’s quickest high-speed practice. “The new trains are modern, faster, better,” mentioned Kaido Zimmermann, common director of Estonian Railways.
“I think it’s a central plan to connect the whole country and to promote economic development,” Smith mentioned throughout his trial run on the CR400. “The presentations we’ve seen at this event showed that there’s a real willingness to change the geography of the country, bringing cities that are once distant much closer together.”
GROWING GLOBAL IMPACT
China’s high-speed rail is already reworking areas past its borders, serving as a sensible mannequin for a lot of nations.
“Most countries experience the same starting point as China,” mentioned Ulan Kulov, deputy common supervisor of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway Co. “We can go this way faster if we learn from China, because we don’t have to reinvent it, and we can use existing technologies and go fast forward.”
“I’m really impressed by seeing the powerful rail industry you’re having here, and I expected to see what the industry is doing and what we can use out of this experience for Europe,” mentioned Richard Neussl, managing director of Austria’s Kontron Transportation Group.
The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway in Indonesia, constructed with Chinese know-how, has reduce journey time from over three hours to simply 46 minutes. The Hungary-Serbia Railway has shortened the Budapest-Belgrade journey from eight hours to a few.
In Laos, the China-Laos Railway has change into a key driver of growth, transporting greater than 52.7 million passengers and 59.4 million tonnes of cargo as of May.
“The railway has directly and indirectly supported the socioeconomic development in Laos, and also boosted the income of people living along the route,” mentioned Daochinda Siharath, managing director of the Lao National Railway Authority.
STRONGER COLLABORATION
This yr marked the second time China has hosted the congress since its launch by the UIC in 1992. Now held each two to a few years, the occasion stays the premier gathering for the high-speed rail sector.
The congress additionally spotlighted innovation and co-development. In his opening remarks, Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing mentioned China will contribute extra knowledge, know-how and options to the event of high-speed rail around the globe.
Zhang added that China is prepared to share its expertise in high-speed railway development and operations, and to work with different nations to advertise the appliance of cutting-edge applied sciences within the sector.
At the accompanying exhibition, Japanese agency Hitachi NICO Transmission Co., Ltd. — a longtime companion in China — highlighted new alternatives. “In the past 40-plus years, it was through our development in China that we were able to seize unprecedented opportunities,” mentioned firm president Matsui Shiro.
“The Belt and Road Initiative has opened new doors for China-Japan joint ventures in third-party markets,” Matsui mentioned. “We see great prospects for effective partnerships in many areas.”
Over time, China’s high-speed rail is more and more seen as a scalable mannequin — constructed not solely on metal and pace, but additionally on long-term technique and worldwide partnership.