Safety concerns arise amidst China HSR scandal

China’s dismissal February 12 of Liu Zhijun, chief of the Chinese Railway Ministry, has raised concerns over the safety and quality of the nation’s fast-growing high speed rail network. Liu was fired for what the government called “severe violations of discipline,” interpreted to mean corruption, according to The New York Times.

Liu has been a champion in leading China to commit to a HSR network of more than 8,000 miles, along with upgrading and growing 11,000 miles of more conventional rail rights-of-way. China has committed about $395 billion to HSR projects.

One source with ties to the Railway Ministry reportedly said right-of-way concrete substructure was deficient, possibly incapable of handling trains at top speeds of 220 mph. The speed of construction could be posing a problem for construction workers if the demand for necessary building materials, such as high-quality fly ash, outstrips the available supply.

China’s average HSR cost per route mile has averaged $15 million, compared with far higher prices in Japan, Europe, and other HSR locales.

Global HSR locomotive and passenger equipment suppliers previously had questioned the quality of China’s domestically produced rolling stock, with some observers (including some not associated with the suppliers themselves) suggesting China has mimicked (or even stolen) equipment designs and is compounding the offense by reproducing the designs deficiently.