Reply to: High-speed Chinese train kicks French, Japanese butt

[minestrone]

I bet they had real engineers with degrees working on it who understand maths rather than a bunch of semi capable, semi qualified diddies who think that there is only one Bernoulli.

[AtW]

I did some travelling in China last year and the company I travelled with for one part of the trip got us "hard sleepers" i.e. second class. It was awful to say the least.

Was it in new high speed trains?

I find that "standard class" in UK "high" speed trains is pretty crowded when the wagon is filled up - it's tigher than it used to be IMHO in older Intercity trains.

First class in UK trains is ok - but it costs so much that I only used it once: when (for some odd reason) price for ticket was exactly the same as standard one). It's NOT worthy 2-3 times the price though.

[MrMark]

Having travelled on the trains in China (yes - including the Maglev) and in Japan I have to say that they beat trains in the UK every time. Having said that I have only travelled first class on Chinese trains and I'm sure it's a very different experience on other parts of the train...

You'll soon to be able to travel from London to Madrid in 8 hours by high-speed train

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...cle6934799.ece

The line, which was planned to be in service from 2012, will mean that British travellers will be able to take the Eurostar to Paris in 2 hours and 15 minutes. Allowing for some delay in crossing Paris, they will then be able to board a high-speed train from the French capital to Madrid, stopping off in Lyon and Barcelona.

The journey time between Paris and the Spanish capital is expected to be between 5 hours 30 minutes and six hours.

However those elsewhere in the UK hoping for a high speed link, can forget it. There is talk of a high speed link between London and Scotland. Estimated opening date? 2025 [Edit]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8434653.stm

Building work could begin in 2017, with the first trains running in 2025

[norrahe]

Having travelled on the trains in China (yes - including the Maglev) and in Japan I have to say that they beat trains in the UK every time. Having said that I have only travelled first class on Chinese trains and I'm sure it's a very different experience on other parts of the train...

I did some travelling in China last year and the company I travelled with for one part of the trip got us "hard sleepers" i.e. second class. It was awful to say the least.

Needless to say the next time we had to overnight by train, we insisted that we went first class.

Heck, even the food in the train canteens was way better and cheaper than trains in the UK.

Unfortunately, the British government made the mistake of privitising the railyways, and we are left with an inefficient infrastructre, which is breaking down rapidly with a govermment who can ill afford to sort it out.

And they wonder why people use cars so much.

[lje]

Have they also got Maglev trains there?

Having travelled on the trains in China (yes - including the Maglev) and in Japan I have to say that they beat trains in the UK every time. Having said that I have only travelled first class on Chinese trains and I'm sure it's a very different experience on other parts of the train...

[norrahe]

I found in amusing in Japan, that they are still apologising for a 4 second train delay after several months.

4 seconds!!!!

[AtW]

I hope they don’t give the franchise to South West Trains

Due to flooding of paddy fields 8:02 to Wuhan cancelled.
We sorry for delay, rice on line.
We sorry for delay, bamboo fall on line.
Unprecedented Typhoon for time of year all trains cancelled.

No they would not do it there because for each such case whoever is in charge of the road will get punished very heavily.

[Diver]

Bravo! A serious outbreak of rational good sense.

And IMHO you are quite right with that last (quoted) sentence: over-active PC is bad in itself because not only does it vilify someone who doesn't deserve it (and does that in a way that slyly cannot be answered), but it obscures the opposition to real racism, by crying Wolf too often.

Brian: I'm not a Roman mum, I'm a kike, a yid, a heebie, a hook-nose, I'm kosher mum, I'm a Red Sea pedestrian, and proud of it!

Classic

[Tarquin Farquhar]

Sorry, but I must protest, Zippy (though not in the usual CUK abusive way, I'll hasten to add).

There's nothing PC or non-PC about the previous comment.

It's common for people in many eastern or less-developed nations to travel roof top. That's not a racial issue, it's a wealth issue. Commenting on it as the original poster does, isn't a race issue. It's an observation that such people might get a bit windy miller in their underpants.

This obsession with looking for any opportunity to show shock and horror and villify someone for making at joke that could be suberted in to a race issue, is quite frankly, more abhorrent than the original act itself.

Bravo! A serious outbreak of rational good sense.

And IMHO you are quite right with that last (quoted) sentence: over-active PC is bad in itself because not only does it vilify someone who doesn't deserve it (and does that in a way that slyly cannot be answered), but it obscures the opposition to real racism, by crying Wolf too often.

[Paddy]

I hope they don’t give the franchise to South West Trains

Due to flooding of paddy fields 8:02 to Wuhan cancelled.
We sorry for delay, rice on line.
We sorry for delay, bamboo fall on line.
Unprecedented Typhoon for time of year all trains cancelled.

[Diver]

Condemning outright racism, sure, that's a worthy thing. But when people stir things up when someone else says innocently, "I hope we have a white Christmas", is akin to spoiling for a fight when none should have existed in the first place.

Not suggesting you were, my dear Zippy, but I get frustrated when I seen the tendrils of overt-PC stifling people's thoughts.

Caucasian

[Board Game Geek]

I'm sure that's not very PC but it did make me chuckle

Sorry, but I must protest, Zippy (though not in the usual CUK abusive way, I'll hasten to add).

There's nothing PC or non-PC about the previous comment.

It's common for people in many eastern or less-developed nations to travel roof top. That's not a racial issue, it's a wealth issue. Commenting on it as the original poster does, isn't a race issue. It's an observation that such people might get a bit windy miller in their underpants.

This obsession with looking for any opportunity to show shock and horror and villify someone for making at joke that could be suberted in to a race issue, is quite frankly, more abhorrent than the original act itself.

Condemning outright racism, sure, that's a worthy thing. But when people stir things up when someone else says innocently, "I hope we have a white Christmas", is akin to spoiling for a fight when none should have existed in the first place.

Not suggesting you were, my dear Zippy, but I get frustrated when I seen the tendrils of overt-PC stifling people's thoughts.

[Zippy]

Can't see it catching on in India - At 230 MPH it would be pretty breezy for all the passengers on the roof.

I'm sure that's not very PC but it did make me chuckle

[OwlHoot]

According to a report in Monday's Financial Times, the Harmony express train travelled from Guangzhou in Guangdong province to the central-China city of Wuhan - a distance of 1,100km (684mi) - in under three hours.

Can't see it catching on in India - At 230 MPH it would be pretty breezy for all the passengers on the roof.

[AtW]

trains in Thailand are far better.

Have they also got Maglev trains there?