Posted to a railroad forum, and my response to it ...
Carleton ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2011 12:31:38 PM Subject: Re: [A_A] Report: Beijing-Shanghai Railway Speed Claim Faked There's the Associated Press, with their damned "kph" garbage again. Carleton ----- Original Message ----- Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2011 7:57:16 AM Subject: [A_A] Report: Beijing-Shanghai Railway Speed Claim Faked Report: Beijing-Shanghai Railway Speed Claim Faked By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: June 22, 2011 at 7:35 AM ET SHANGHAI (AP) — China's Railway Ministry exaggerated the speed that a showcase rail link between Beijing and Shanghai is capable of operating at, a report said Wednesday, citing a retired top engineer. Zhou Yimin, a deputy chief engineer at the ministry, told the financial magazine Caijing that the trains' maximum operating speed should be 300 kph (185 mph) rather than the originally targeted 350 kph (216 mph). Railways Minister Liu Zhijun, who was dismissed this spring amid an investigation into unspecified alleged corruption charges, insisted on claiming the world's best technology for all aspects of the showcase high-speed rail program, Zhou told Caijing. Liu demanded higher speeds for the 215 billion yuan ($32.5 billion) Beijing-Shanghai railway to 380 kph (235 mph) despite knowing that the contracts for the foreign-designed cars being used called for a maximum of 300 kph, he said. "What he wanted was buying a train with a top speed designed at 300 kph but making it run at a speed of 350 kph," Zhou said. Full article: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/06/22/business/AP-AS-China-High-Speed-Railway.html?scp=1&sq=railway+&st=nyt
