Also, the low cost of China's high-speed railways has a lot to do with the lower requirement of profit.
Another incomparable advantage Chinese high-speed railways have is the country's difficult geographical terrains. China has already built more than 16,000 km of high-speed railways across high plateaus, mountains, plains and deserts. Working in such terrains, Chinese engineers and workers have gained precious experience to deal with difficulties of any kind. Working together, engineers and other technical experts, and manual workers have developed a strong teamwork spirit and mutual trust.
Of course, the Japanese too have their advantages. Masaki Ogata, executive vice-chairman of East Japan Railway Company, said in a recent interview, Shinkansen technology can prevent damage to high-speed railways during earthquakes, and has advantages in environmental protection and noise control.
Indeed, Japanese high-speed railways enjoy these advantages. But China is developing its high-speed train technology fast enough to catch up with the best by, among other things, funding research teams to develop advanced monitoring and early warning systems, and quake-resistant technology to ensure the safety of high-speed railways. Even in environmental protection, China has gained enough experience while building the railway that connects Lhasa, Tibet with Qinghai province.
In short, China's high-speed railways are good in quality and competitive in price, and will definitely be better in the future.
Zhai Wanming is a chair professor at Xinan Jiaotong University and a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The article is an excerpt from his interview with China Daily's Zhang Zhouxiang.
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