The bullet train: Beijing to Zhengzhou

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Greg_Lewis
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The bullet train: Beijing to Zhengzhou

Post by Greg_Lewis »

This is going to be long, and I realize that this goes against the unwritten custom of keeping forum posts to perhaps a single paragraph, but I'll take the risk because if it encourages one person to travel internationally and get outside his or her comfort zone it will have been worthwhile. There are some things that you have to experience to understand – reading about them is not enough.

Having heard much about the Chinese railway system, I was looking forward to our trip on the bullet train from Beijing to Zhengzhou. We were booked on one of the 95 daily trains that run the 386 miles between the third largest city in the world, and the Henan provincial capital.

Our guide had previously purchased our tickets and led us through the security checks, which were similar but less severe than those of airports. The station in Beijing is about the size of a midcity aerodrome, with large LED illuminated signboards indicating train numbers, destinations, and the appropriate waiting room – the latter being similar but much larger than that of an airport lounge.

At 6'4" tall I was easily the tallest person in the entire railway station. I drew a few looks as these folks are not used to seeing someone my height.

At boarding time we queued up Chinese style, which is a cross between a rugby scrum and a mosh pit (you don't take offense – you jump into the middle of it and enjoy it for what it is), and filtered through the turnstile, into which we fed our tickets like we do on many US transit systems.

The train consisted of two multi-car units, each with a sloped nose at at each end. Having been in service for some years now, the exteriors showed the signs of middle-age one might find on a 10-year-old used car that has been parked outside all its life – the gloss is off the finish and it hasn't been through the wash rack in at least a year.

We had reserved seats in the lead car of the second section, and we were greeted by the female cabin attendant, who was dressed in a smart and neatly pressed uniform. I use "greeted" loosely, as her stern demeanor resembled that of the Mother Superior at your local Catholic school, angry with her young flock of sinners. (An anomaly for sure, as everyone else has been friendly and eager to be of service.)

To our left, in a small compartment at the front end of the car, were about six seats which were obviously for first-class passengers, their wrap-around cushions and lie-flat configuration similar to what we peons glimpse as we are herded into the steerage compartment of an airplane.

Turning right, we entered what I presume was the second-class section, which contained about two dozen seats, two by two, and very much like those on our Amtrak lines. The compartment was clean and entirely presentable, the signs of use being moderate and well within what would be expected on Amtrak.

The seats were large enough to permit the occupant to find a comfortable position, and the backs, although lacking in lumbar support, tilted rearward slightly more than their airborne cousins. Legroom was ample and an electric outlet was available at each position so the electronically addicted could maintain their habit.

Common to most of the trains I've ridden is the unequal relationship between the exterior windows and the seat spacing. Our seats were set about 18 inches behind the bulkhead that divided two expansive pieces of glass. This prevented me from a forward angled view, and I had to twist my neck to a hard 90 degrees to observe the countryside. Being like a Labrador retriever who would have had his head out of the window if he could (albeit probably not at 130 mph) it was a bit frustrating to have to twist thus for the three hour trip.

Our train left exactly on time, and I was startled by the quiet and smooth ride. The car was almost noiseless, and I only knew we were underway by the changing view. We were able to hear the chatter of the passengers at the rear of the car, and the dominant noise was the soft whoosh of the ventilation.

Once out of the station, Mother Superior came down the aisle and asked for my ticket. After checking a box on a list, she handed me a small paper bag of snacks. I suspect the list was to ensure that I did not receive more than my share of what was probably thirty-five cents worth of munchies. Inside I found a piece of strawberry leather about the size of two postage stamps, a packet of about a dozen dried salted peas (the legume equivalent of a potato chip), and a sweet bakery treat about the size of a small lemon, the doughy portion like a dense Twinkie, with a thin layer of cream filling.

We accelerated to cruising speed, which was hard to estimate due to the lack of the reference points we might use on American railroads – phone poles and mileposts. The right-of-way was elevated above the countryside by perhaps 20 to 30 feet and, obviously, there were no grade crossings. Other tracks passed underneath. The landscape was flat as a billiard table for the entire distance and the route curved only slightly as we approached a couple of the five intermediate stops. As we slowed for those stops the superelevation became quite obvious and was much more steep than needed for our speed. I have not seen this much superelevation elsewhere.

Several times during the trip a steward came along pushing a cart of the same design as those on airplanes, and selling prepackaged lunches. He wore a clear plastic mask that covered his mouth, presumably to keep his breath away from the food, something we have seen several times in stores.

I didn't buy as the contents were not visible through the packaging, and I still had 17 of the 22 Cliff bars I had stuffed into my backpack before leaving San Francisco.

Frankly the train itself was rather boring, and a bit of a letdown. I was expecting to get a sense of speed, but due to the smooth, quiet ride, there was little feeling of motion beyond the view. There was none of the side to side tracking, no slack take out, no rail joint noise, and little equipment hum.

The big surprise was the view. Passing through the yards I saw only the passenger equipment used on these lines – I have yet to see any freight equipment. Running through the countryside we passed small villages that house the farm families, the adjacent fields divided into blocks of perhaps 5 to 10 acres. Farmers were sometimes seen – a solitary person in the middle of a collection of plots, applying a shovel or rake to a row of green. I did not see a single tractor in the 386 miles.

An incongruity was the clusters of high-rise apartment buildings planted adjacent to these small farming villages. Rectangular, all of the same stark design, and oriented so their long sides could take advantage of warmth from the sun, they ran about 15 stories high and in clusters of 8, 10, or even more. The high-rises appeared to be incomplete, and looked as though they had been sitting without action for number of years. We must have passed a thousand of these between the two cities. I asked our guide for an explanation and was told that the motivation for their construction is the change away from individualized small plot farming to larger mechanized operations, thus throwing the small farmers off their land and out of work. But the construction went over budget and the buildings sit virtually abandoned.

More sobering is the waste. Trash, rubble, junk, and plastic. Tons of plastic, scattered and piled across the entire landscape. To see farm fields with spring crops emerging amidst plastic bottles and bags; to see the yards of the village homes, the sides of the road grades, the banks of ponds and streams piled deep with this detritus proves the wisdom of those communities here who have taken steps to control this scourge.

The pollution isn't limited to plastic bits. The consequences of unregulated pollution are such that none of the water is drinkable, and bottled water is consumed by everyone. The city that we are currently in, Zhengzhou, has smog so bad that even a stiff breeze does not blow it away and visibility is barely a couple of miles. While some folks may make derisive comments about environmentalists, a place such as this is an example of what we do not want to become.

Our train arrived two minutes early, an accomplishment only dreamed of by Amtrak riders. Gathering our gear, we passed Mother Superior, but did not pause to say goodbye as we knew we were not worthy of her benevolence. Making our way to the station exit, we again ran our tickets through the turnstile and met our guide who took us to our hotel.

To travel 386 miles in three hours in America is a near impossibility. That we could benefit from such a system is hardly debatable after experiencing such efficiency.

China is a country and culture everyone should experience. I urge you to step into this fascinating, mysterious, contradictory world. When traveling in the West, while worthwhile, the voyager is still venturing on a common baseline. But the 5000 years of Chinese culture is not another point on any linear, circular, or spherical continuum that would include the Western world. Comparisons defy geometric, and all other, analogies, just as snow does not relate to the square root of two. One of the lessons of international travel is that there is more than one way of being, and none is more valid than another.

But there is a more important lesson learned from an adventure, however brief, to a cultural universe as different from the West as China. When you cannot read the signs, cannot chat with someone in a café, do not understand the subtle mannerisms they consider polite and impolite, and cannot even ask a stranger on the street for directions to the bathroom, you begin to understand the fears, challenges and isolation suffered by those who come to us as the result of war, famine or other calamity. While it is absurd to compare a brief visit to such a situation, travel does, in a minimal way, give us some empathy for those who have been ripped from all they know; their only connection to home being the blue sky and the breeze.
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Fender
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Re: The bullet train: Beijing to Zhengzhou

Post by Fender »

I found out what it's like to be illiterate, when I traveled to Japan. :?
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Re: The bullet train: Beijing to Zhengzhou

Post by ElWet »

A significant bit off topic of mini steam locos.. :!: ..but an interesting commentary.

I was on that same route last Wednesday. Your descriptions are absolutely spot on. Your writing and accuracy is exemplary.

Whenever possible I take the high speed train in China. Not only is travel so comfortable, but it ALWAYS arrives on time. The airplanes are only on time within 1/2 hour about 50% of the time. I have been on way too many Chinese flights that are 4 to 5 hours late.

I go to China 8 times per year since 1999 & lived there with my family from 2003 to 2008. The high speed trains are a modern marvel compared to the old straight backed wood bench seats in trains that took 8 hours to go 200 miles. (The old torture travel method is still available for those who think the old trains are quaint...)

Finally, thanks for pointing out to me I have gotten too familiar with the country side. The novelty has worn off. As soon as I get in the high speed train, the computer is open & I am doing work. Next month I will spend the trip looking out the window.

But I have an excuse for last week. It was raining very hard with real fog (not Chinese "fog" also known as "smoke" in the rest of the world.) While waiting on the platform I was clobbered with torrential rain.

Thus, once again confirming I am All Wet.

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Re: The bullet train: Beijing to Zhengzhou

Post by Bill Shields »

welcome to my world. I STOPPED GOING to China in warmer weather because of the pollution. I always find a reason to be 'otherwise busy' in the warmer weather because of it.

Ridden 1000's of miles on Chinese, Japanese and Taiwanese trains over the years.

Taiwan and the major Japanese rail centers have a lot of English, but it is still tough. If you don't know where you are going in the Nagoya railway station (which is HUGE) you can walk for a mile and not find the correct track.

Even when you push the ENGLISH button on the ticket vending machine, you BETTER KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING or you can end up in the middle of...anywhere....OK Taiwan and Japan are islands so it is difficult to get too far 'off the map' but.....as Fender says...it is intimidating.

The only exception is the maglev in Shanghai...it only goes to one place and back, so is impossible to get lost...Get on at one end...get of at the other...Airplanes mean you are at the airport...taxis mean city...even I can figure that out.

To quote Scotty: "And at WARP 5 we are going nowhere mighty fast!"...and it isn't as smooth a ride as the wheel on rail cousins.

Much of the Chinese freight railways that I have seen in the past do NOT parallel the new high speed passenger line(s)...and follow the 'torture travel' method ElWet so clearly describes. I would not do to have the high speed train(s) interfered with by lowly freight.

Don't complain about the food...it's better than what I have received on some USA based airlines recently!
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Post by NP317 »

Fascinating travelogue. Thanks, Greg.
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Re: The bullet train: Beijing to Zhengzhou

Post by rwmorris »

Very nice Greg! We just did Germany and Switzerland last May. Traveling outside the US should almost be a requirement for folks. It's so awesome to experience other cultures and to take it all in on how they operate Day to day. And yes, high speed rail travel is the ultimate in my book. Why we, the "great nation," are so far behind the curve I'll never understand...

Cheers,

RM
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Re: The bullet train: Beijing to Zhengzhou

Post by EOsteam »

rwmorris wrote:And yes, high speed rail travel is the ultimate in my book. Why we, the "great nation," are so far behind the curve I'll never understand...
RM
Look at it this way. Germany and Montana are about the same size in terms of square miles and contain populations of 81 million people versus 1 million. It's simple economics. Only the Eastern Seaboard has population densities that approach Europe. To serve a large population in a small area is much more cost effective than the reverse and High speed trains are bodaciously (spell correct hates my word) expensive to construct.

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Re: The bullet train: Beijing to Zhengzhou

Post by BClemens »

rwmorris wrote: And yes, high speed rail travel is the ultimate in my book. Why we, the "great nation," are so far behind the curve I'll never understand...
Thanks Greg! Good stuff!

Chances are, entering or leaving an Asian or European country will be aboard an aircraft built in the US - at least at this point in time. Want to see working steam locomotives? China.... Want high speed rail? China.... Want to see the US about a hundred years ago? China.... Want to live there? Absolutely Not! But it's a nice place to visit...

When the ICC (Federal Government) took control of the rail systems in the US they were stymied to the point of non existence and most certainly stymied out of modernizing. Government is here to help...

BC
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Re: The bullet train: Beijing to Zhengzhou

Post by Steggy »

EOsteam wrote:
rwmorris wrote:And yes, high speed rail travel is the ultimate in my book. Why we, the "great nation," are so far behind the curve I'll never understand...
RM
Look at it this way. Germany and Montana are about the same size in terms of square miles and contain populations of 81 million people versus 1 million. It's simple economics. Only the Eastern Seaboard has population densities that approach Europe. To serve a large population in a small area is much more cost effective than the reverse and High speed trains are bodaciously (spell correct hates my word) expensive to construct.

HJ
I'll second your comment about economics.

All current high speed rail (HSR) systems (other than maglev) are based upon electric traction, which involves massive non-recurring expense to build the catenary system and supporting power distribution infrastructure. A rail line running many hundreds of miles requires a catenary running many hundreds of miles, which means many distribution substations have to be part of the infrastructure to assure adequate catenary voltage at all points. As high voltages (10,000 volts and up) are the norm with HSR, the catenary has to be robustly constructed—obviously, a single failure could shut down an entire line for a long distance. If a Diesel-electric locomotive goes kaput, another one can get it off the mainline so other trains aren't obstructed. If the catenary wire breaks or a distribution substation fails and de-energizes the catenary, all trains come to a stop and remain stopped until power is restored.

Considering maintenance, although an train running on an electrified line doesn't have the complication of a Diesel engine and its supporting accessories, and hence requires less running maintenance and repair, the catenary has maintenance requirements that often end up being quite costly. Locomotives themselves are seldom affected by weather. Catenaries are potential victims of severe weather, especially ice storms, which can break wires or short out things. If a Diesel locomotive breaks down you can hook another locomotive to it and take the dead unit to the maintenance blokes, where they can work on it in an enclosed space, with needed tools and supplies close at hand. If a catenary wire breaks or a substation fails the maintenance blokes must go to where the problem is located, which could be dozens or hundreds of miles away, and they get to work in the outdoors, no matter the weather, around equipment operating at deadly voltages. In practical terms, a Diesel locomotive itself is more expensive to maintain and repair than an electric locomotive of comparable size and power. However the labor costs to maintain and repair the catenary and its supporting infrastructure more than offset the lower maintenance costs of the electric locomotive.

Long-distance HSR in the USA is simply not practical, and not just because of the low average population density. Current Diesel-electric technology is viable up to around 120 MPH or thereabouts, well below the speeds at which current HSR trains routinely operate in daily revenue service. Beyond that speed, horsepower requirements diverge from what is technically feasible with a self-powered locomotive, which is why high voltage traction runs almost all HSR systems. As Diesel-electric locomotion can't cut it in HSR, we are right back to the catenary and power distribution system. The cost to set up such a thing on a, for example, transcontinental line would be mind-boggling, especially where crossing the Rocky Mountains is involved. Extremes of weather will result in no end of maintenance headaches. Long stretches of unprotected right-of-way will be ripe targets for vandals.

The desire to reduce coast-to-coast travel time, along with the recognition of the cost-prohibitive nature of operating trains at really high speeds over a thousand miles or more is one of the primary reasons why air travel became so highly developed in the USA. Commercial airliners are costly and complicated but do not require infrastructure spread out over hundreds or thousands of miles to operate. Also, they have developed into highly reliable machines that are able to produce a very large return on investment. The infrastructure airliners do require—airports—is in fixed locations, which is convenient for the supporting workforce.

High speed rail travel versus air travel is no contest in a country the size of the USA or Canada. HSR is viable for moderate distances, such as Chicago to St. Louis, or New York City to Washington, DC. Beyond those ranges, HSR becomes like the Concorde supersonic airliner: a financial sinkhole.
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Re: The bullet train: Beijing to Zhengzhou

Post by johnpenn74 »

I was there 2 months ago Chinese New year and a lot of tourism... Rode a LOT of trains in 30 days... Longest was Pingyou to Shanghi. about 6 hours at 305 KM/ hour. Another way of looking at it is we HAD eletrified passenger line in the United States 70 years ago ( eastern corridor, interurbans, street cars, etc) and we took it all out.. Victims of our own independence.

The Beijing Steam Museum was Awesome...

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Re: The bullet train: Beijing to Zhengzhou

Post by Steggy »

johnpenn74 wrote:Another way of looking at it is we HAD eletrified passenger line in the United States 70 years ago ( eastern corridor, interurbans, street cars, etc) and we took it all out.. Victims of our own independence.
None of the interurban roads ever turned a profit over the long haul, which was what led to their disappearance. The few that still operate in the USA are subsidized by the taxpayers.

Street cars' demise was mostly at the hand of myopic urban planners, especially those who were offend by the sight of trolley wires and the supporting structure. However, some cities continue to operate street cars, aka LRVs, as a hedge against air quality problems that are associated with fossil-fueled buses.
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