Chinese HSR train recall

[Schadenfroh]

But, not the ones manufactured by the company involved in the recent accident.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/12/china-trains-idUSL3E7JC09L20110812

China's second-biggest train maker will recall 54 bullet trains used on the new showcase Beijing-Shanghai line for safety reasons, the firm said on Friday, dealing a fresh blow to the nation's scandal-plagued rail system.
...
"Can we also recall the Ministry of Railways?," asked another.
...
CNR's rival, China South Locomotive, built both of the trains involved in the crash last month.

This is how you bring about improvements in China, make the state-owned companies lose face to the world. I wonder if the recall would have happened if the state media had kept the accident out of the papers like in the good old days before social media and buried it quietly.

 

[Jhhnn]

So, uhh, they're doing the right thing and being called down for it, right?

 

[JS80]

lolchina

 

[Macamus Prime]

Somewhere, a American business man responsible for buying trains for company X, just got the biggest erection of his entire life. Because he realized he should just buy this "train shit" from overseas!

Think of all the headcounts he'll save! The savings on labor! The savings on materials!

Yeah, but the quality seems to be an iss,..

SHUT UP YOU COMMUNIST!!! I need to make this company more money! I mean,... save money!!

Wait - how am I a communist? You are going to give a communist country business and work!

Shut up! I need to rally some supporters on the Anandtech forums!! I will promise them 75% of all the money I save the company!! Just like every other business man out there has already done.

 

[Jhhnn]

Somewhere, a American business man responsible for buying trains for company X, just got the biggest erection of his entire life. Because he realized he should just buy this "train shit" from overseas!

Think of all the headcounts he'll save! The savings on labor! The savings on materials!

Yeah, but the quality seems to be an iss,..

SHUT UP YOU COMMUNIST!!! I need to make this company more money! I mean,... save money!!

Wait - how am I a communist? You are going to give a communist country business and work!

Shut up! I need to rally some supporters on the Anandtech forums!! I will promise them 75% of all the money I save the company!! Just like every other business man out there has already done.

I'm terribly sorry to point this out, but America is way, way behind on passenger rail technology. Dismally so.

It's my industry- it's what I do. American manufacturers don't even have a foot in the door, other than as suppliers to Japanese & European concerns, like Kinkisharyo & Siemens. The closest thing to an American company in the business is Bombardier of Canada, currently partnering with the Chinese...

You snooze, you lose, and American passenger rail has been on life support in a coma since WW2.

 

[William Gaatjes]

I'm terribly sorry to point this out, but America is way, way behind on passenger rail technology. Dismally so.

It's my industry- it's what I do. American manufacturers don't even have a foot in the door, other than as suppliers to Japanese & European concerns, like Kinkisharyo & Siemens. The closest thing to an American company in the business is Bombardier of Canada, currently partnering with the Chinese...

You snooze, you lose, and American passenger rail has been on life support in a coma since WW2.

Strange is it not. I understand that the daily commute can be easily a few hours even without traffic jams for a lot of US citizens.

If there was a proper rail system, people could just get in a train and have some time to relax, sleep, do or prepare some work for the next day. Have a conversation. Then at the town stop jump in the car and drive home. Would be ideal. But then first strict rules would be needed about how to behave and a lot of people would come with x amendments on how the train company not acknowledges god given freedom, blah blah blah. Security on the train. And if 1 bombing would happen, you would have another TSA but then for trains. Nobody would ever use the train system anymore and take the automobile...

 

[Jhhnn]

Strange is it not. I understand that the daily commute can be easily a few hours even without traffic jams for a lot of US citizens.

If there was a proper rail system, people could just get in a train and have some time to relax, sleep, do or prepare some work for the next day. Have a conversation. Then at the town stop jump in the car and drive home. Would be ideal. But then first strict rules would be needed about how to behave and a lot of people would come with x amendments on how the train company not acknowledges god given freedom, blah blah blah. Security on the train. And if 1 bombing would happen, you would have another TSA but then for trains. Nobody would ever use the train system anymore and take the automobile...

You're making way too many negative attributions. Light Rail here in Denver, of which I am a part, functions smoothly and is highly popular among the taxpayers. We're expanding with their blessing.

Or rolling stock is from Siemens, however, much of which is built & assembled in Marietta Ga & Sacramento Ca to comply with federal funding regs. The air conditions are built by Thermoking in the Czech republic, door systems by IFE in the same country, the truck assemblies & propulsion equipment by Siemens in Germany, the brakes here in the US, so forth & so on. It's not really very "American" at all.

 

[LegendKiller]

I love how the China lovers blather on and on about how great China's public works projects are. In the USSR, they called them "hero projects". All of them built shoddily, both USSR and China.

China can't even make military grade jet engines, they simply lack the metallurical knowledge. Do you REALLY think that they can pull off a train like this? Some loon was talking about 500mph vacuum trains there, ROFL...

I wouldn't ride a China bullet train if they came over here, gave me half of the $500bn in USTs they own, and then promised to float their currency.

Well, ok, maybe I would then. For the better of the country.

 

[BarneyFife]

I don't think I would ride in one either. 200 miles per hour on a railroad track just doesn't seem safe. China is only good at one thing and that is copying stuff and producing them for 1/10 the price. Unfortunately, they didn't get this copy right.

 

[LegendKiller]

I don't think I would ride in one either. 200 miles per hour on a railroad track just doesn't seem safe. China is only good at one thing and that is copying stuff and producing them for 1/10 the price. Unfortunately, they didn't get this copy right.

No shit. They can't even get their other public works projects done right.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banqiao_Dam

Take that disaster and apply it to the already crumbling Three Gorges.

What's funny is that people tout the BRICs, forgetting that Russia is a declining society, Brazil is utterly dependent on China, and India won't fix itself for a very long time. Then, with China, they somehow think that China's central planning politicians are better at being politicians than the US or other western politicians.

Guess what? Greedy fucking politicians are greedy fucking politicians. It doesn't matter if they have a 4 year plan or a 500 year plan, they are still greedy fucks who want nothing more than to stay in power. To do that they will trample on anybody and everybody and cut every corner possible.

But hell no, China's greedy fucks are better than anybody else's. So funny.

 

[ProfJohn]

You're making way too many negative attributions. Light Rail here in Denver, of which I am a part, functions smoothly and is highly popular among the taxpayers. We're expanding with their blessing.

Or rolling stock is from Siemens, however, much of which is built & assembled in Marietta Ga & Sacramento Ca to comply with federal funding regs. The air conditions are built by Thermoking in the Czech republic, door systems by IFE in the same country, the truck assemblies & propulsion equipment by Siemens in Germany, the brakes here in the US, so forth & so on. It's not really very "American" at all.

How is it's P&L though?

Is it meeting ridership projections?
Did it cost more or less than forecast?

The problem in the US is that only a few cities have a built up enough downtown to justify the costs of light rail.

 

[William Gaatjes]

You're making way too many negative attributions. Light Rail here in Denver, of which I am a part, functions smoothly and is highly popular among the taxpayers. We're expanding with their blessing.

Or rolling stock is from Siemens, however, much of which is built & assembled in Marietta Ga & Sacramento Ca to comply with federal funding regs. The air conditions are built by Thermoking in the Czech republic, door systems by IFE in the same country, the truck assemblies & propulsion equipment by Siemens in Germany, the brakes here in the US, so forth & so on. It's not really very "American" at all.

I am happy to read that.

As a side note :
Sometimes, you have to look from a negative perspective. Then it is a lot easier to find and see the positive and you can appreciate it more.

 

[William Gaatjes]

Forgetting the nay sayers and the wannabe patriots.
When another company in another country just has the technology and experience readily available, why not use it ? Of course there has to be regulations for safety and durability thus there will be always some in house production. Also assembling locally is usually a lot cheaper shipping entire products. Global economy is good. It is just short term profit decisions based on greed and selfishness that create poverty. Managers who have no personal connection to a company are far more eager to sell out the company while making financial gain at the personal level. Leaving the company to rot.

As another side note.
We in the western world should watch out for international CEO's and managers. No affiliation exists with the company, only greed and selfishness. Which can be seen for example with reorganizations. Cutting jobs while taking in massive financial bonuses.