» 08/11/2011 14:19 CHINA China now "admits" that high speed trains are not safe The central government decreases the speed of trains, suspends new projects, subject to thorough study and further security measures. High speed travel was great pride of the Chinese government, but now the authorities continue silence on security and Wenzhou disaster.
Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The central government said yesterday it has suspended approval of new high-speed rail projects, that the existing lines will be subjected to careful inspection and that while the speed of trains will be reduced to " appropriate" levels, while they are studying more security measures. The decision confirms that the Chinese high-speed rail is much less secure than claimed, and invigorates the protest of the relatives of the victims of the July 23 train crash in Wenzhou (Zheijiang), which has caused 40 deaths and 200 wounded.
The high-speed trains have always highlighted by China as an important demonstration of its rapid progress. Even after the arrest for corruption of the Minister of Railways earlier this year, and China had planned to invest 2.8 trillion yuan by 2015 to enhance the fast lines. Now, the State Council says it wants to review the Five-Year Plan, placing attention on the safety of railways at the cost of limiting the expected development of high speed services. At the end of 2010 8358 km of high speed railways were laid in the country and 16 thousand were planned by 2020.
The Minister for Railways Sheng Guangzu says he has sent 47 inspection teams to control the "total" security. The high speed of trains will be reduced from 350 kilometres per hour to 300 km, and those that travel at 250 will be slowed down to 200 kilometres. The cost of tickets will also be reduced "to match" the reduction in speed. The distance between the departure time of trains will also be increased, to reduce risk of collision with an earlier train, as occurred in Wenzhou, when departures were spaced every 30 minutes, which left very little space to remedy an emergency or to correct human error.
These initiatives have increased the doubts about the safety of high-speed rail in China, given that Beijing rarely makes such a rapid u-turn.
The economic analyst Jack Xu of Shanghai notes that "the suspension of new projects is an unexpected initiative," because "the government's policies are very important for construction companies and those that provide what is necessary" for railways. In fact the government's decision had immediate repercussions on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange: China Railway Group Ltd’s shares today lost 7.4%, the railway companies have lost nearly 30% since the disaster July, while those of aviation companies have soared.
But the authorities have not yet explained how the collision between the 2 trains in Wenzhou happened, despite the insistent requests of the relatives of victims, as well as public opinion. Instead a strict censorship remains in place, which sometimes borders on farce.
As the case of Yang Feng, who lost his pregnant partner, her sister, his mother-in-law, and niece of 4 years in the disaster. Yang was one of the leaders of the protests on the night of July 23 when, immediately after the disaster, angry relatives protest in the streets and in front of the local town hall. However, he later deserted the subsequent protests and now according to media reports the government has "bought" his silence. Yang, on his micro blog, admitted that the authorities have given the right to sell train tickets in some cities, but insists that "profits will be donated to a fund for the relatives of victims and wounded”.
Analysts observe that the story, if true, shows the authorities are trying to silence critics, even by buying their silence, rather than revealing the full truth. Although Premier Wen, a few days after the disaster, has promised swift investigations and full information, not only into the disaster but also an inquiry into the safety of trains.
