Pioneering developments on China’s high-speed railways

It’s been hailed as the next generation of long-distance land transport since the invention of the electric-locomotive; depicted in more futurist films than any other vehicle and has baffled engineers across the globe up until the latter half of the century. But finally, as the US continues to stumble over its building blocks towards implementing its own high-speed rail (HSR) grid, China has taken the top spot as a pioneer when it comes to the next generation of rail transportation – laying down the final tracks on its 800 mile bullet train grid, linking the nation’s Capital with Shanghai this November.

In doing so, travelling between China's two most economic cities will drop from a rather standard 10 hour, 820 mile one-way trip, to a jaw-dropping four hours when the service finally flicks the 'on' switch with its CRH380B train in 2012. For a nation that prides itself on efficiency and growth, it's certainly proved itself worthy of its HSR accolade.

Indeed, as the BBC reported back in August, "in its race to provide future growth, the speed at which China is adopting new technologies is breath-taking. Five years ago, there was not a single kilometre of high-speed track in China. Today, it has more than Europe and by 2012, it will have more than the rest of the world put together."

With some of the world's leading engineers coming from China's eastern hub, it's perhaps unsurprising that the front line of this new industrial revolution lies in the port city of Qingdao, nestled between Beijing and Shanghai, with the state-controlled train-making company China South Locomotive & Rolling Stock Corporation Limited (CSR) in charge of making the super-dynamic, high-speed trains. But it's not just a case of headhunting the best local talent to ensure the project's success. At it's inception, according to Xiaogang Zhao, the CSR's chairman, China's leaders "played a strong role in making all of this happen."

They did so by demanding that any foreign company wanting to bid for a slice of the colossal high-speed programme would have to share its technology with a Chinese partner. And thus the race began, with Japanese engineering giant Kawasaki accepting the condition whole-heartedly. With almost half a century of development under its belt, Kawasaki agreed to share its knowledge with CSR. Soon after, Siemens of Germany struck a similar deal with another Chinese train-maker.

With access to foreign know-how secured, the Chinese government then provided an army of just under 10,000 engineers and academics to create a Chinese developed, Chinese-branded super train that would push the envelope once again to produce the now completed 350 kilometre per hour bullet train. And, if proof of concept wasn't enough for the world's watching eyes, the CSR's independently researched 350 kilometre per hour electric multiple-unit (EMU) has run 10 million kilometres safely along its equally as impressive high-speed track.

Speaking to the Economic Daily, Zhao affirmed: "Practice proves that by adhering to independent innovation, we have created the world's highest record in actual operation speed, and by sticking to a 'human-centric' approach, our products' safety and reliability has hit the world's highest level. It is impossible for us to make these achievements even within decades if we independently specialised in research and development.

"Previously, we took account of both technical introduction and independent innovation. CSR's first 250 kilometre per hour EMU depended on joint design and its intellectual property was also shared. On the basis of joint design, CSR continued moving forward on its 'two legs': introduction-study-assimilation and re-innovation. We employ the same working mode in high-speed EMU innovation as in electric locomotive development. Working in this context is a successful measure and shatters the 'walk on one leg' dilemma."

What Zhao alludes to with his "walk on one leg" dilemma is the realisation that new EMU technologies need to be inextricably linked at both the introduction and development levels.  Under the uniform arrangement of the Ministry of Railways, CSR made independent innovations whilst introducing technologies that facilitated its technical innovation by streamlining its entire R&D system.

In doing so, the CSR can now lay claim to applying for over 300 patents in the high-speed EMU field. Its CRH2 EMU train - the elder of the group at 250 kilometres per hour - had become the Chinese high-speed train of choice with its own independent intellectual property. However, it's path to success has not been as straightforward as it appears, with Kawasaki - the original partner of the CSR's CRH2 - pulling out from the partnership in 2004 after a final deal of 60 modified CRH2 trains, with CSR's vice-engineer stating that their latest models "Have nothing at all to do with Shinkansen [the Japanese 'bullet train']" apart from the fact that their external shapes undoubtedly have a resemblance.

So while the CSR's latest deployment into the NSR grid is certainly world leading, it's policy infrastructure and the speed at which such technologies are being adopted looks to be causing concern for foreign investors looking to tap into the Chinese market. Under the new "indigenous innovation" proposal, foreign companies bidding for Chinese government contracts will not only have to share existing know-how, but will also be required to conduct any new research and development work in China.

According to Brenda Foster, head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, "it will keep American companies from being able to compete in the Chinese domestic market. For some companies, that could actually put them out of business." But for California at least, understanding and implementing their own HSR continues to be a top priority, with Governor Schwarzenegger currently trying to redirect some of the unwanted federal high speed rail dollars that Wisconsin Governor-elect Scott Walker wants to reject, on the grounds that their state couldn't afford to maintain the US$7.5 million in annual operating costs needed for the HSR to run through its territory.

In a letter to the Secretary of Transportation, Schwarzenegger said: "Californians eagerly await a high-speed rail system and, with last year's approval of major bond funding, they have done their part to make it happen. With a firm long-term commitment of federal funding, state matches that stretch your investment still further and the private funding such assurances will bring, we will be pleased to demonstrate to the rest of the nation the environmental and economic value of high-speed rail. As President Obama said, "There's no reason why the world's best infrastructure should lie beyond our borders.""

And while Schwarzenegger relays a solid argument, the point remains that, for the foreseeable future, the world's best HSR infrastructure does indeed lie beyond the US' borders with China and Japan. But for China, it's not only a case of desire, but necessity. With Beijing hosting the world's biggest traffic jam in August of this year, congesting over 100 kilometres of road, it's clear that the hub of both transport and business can no longer support its population's growing demand for more vehicles and better infrastructure. With the development of its HSR grid - and its latest addition to the team in the form of its CRH380B train - the hope would be that longer commutes into both cities would be adopted by the HSR grid as opposed to the more traditional, and taxing, forms of transportation.

With the continuing influx of people moving from rural to urban areas year upon year within the rapidly growing nation, further HSR construction would stimulate the economy in the short term, creating thousands of additional jobs whilst driving up demand for the construction, steel and cement industries during a time of economic downturn.

Currently, China's conventional high-speed railway network is made up of four components, of which a national grid of passenger dedicated HSR lines; other newly-built conventional rail lines that can carry high-speed passenger and freight trains; and certain regional 'intercity' HSR lines are all already under construction and all aim to not only push the envelope of HSR once again, but solve a fraction of the puzzle when it comes to its overloaded infrastructure problem.

While Western companies continuing to delve into China's HSR market are likely to benefit from the large number of contracts being signed in Beijing in the short term, in the long term, Chinese companies such as CSR - with the power of a huge domestic market on their radar - are likely to prove formidable competitors. And, after years of working with their Western counterparts and understanding their rolling stocks inside out, it seems unavoidable that China will be competing with them in the immanent future. If their latest addition to the HSR grid is anything to go by, it could quite literally make them bullet proof.