VERY SLOW PANDAS AND VERY FAST TRAINS

It was a rainy day in Beijing but the heat and humidity continue unabated for a quick visit to the Beijing Zoo and the Panda enclosure where these creatures munch happily on freshly cut bamboo sticks seemingly oblivious to the admiration of faces pressed against the glass partitions.

If walking seven kilometres through the Forbidden City or hauling oneself up the slippery uneven steps of the Great Wall or negotiating one’s health prospects with a Chinese speaking TCM doctor weren’t challenging enough, Lisa now informed us that we must now gather up our two heavy suitcases and prepare to board the very fast train to Zhengzhou. This would be quite a complex operation as, somehow, 86 suitcases must be loaded onto a train that really has no capacity to store such a load in one area designed for passengers; so they must be stacked at each end of our assigned carriage (without blocking access) and removed within 3 or 4 minutes when the train stops in Zhongzhou. This train travels in excess of 300kph in a 2.5hour journey. (Say, BNE to Rocky in 2.5hrs!) Again, this was a very challenging assignment for an age group of this nature; but somehow, mission accomplished where Bree stood waiting with her tour guide flag; however, not without a serious incident.

The tour group just ahead of us started down the escalator for their awaiting bus. Now, stepping onto and getting off escalators can be a tricky process managing a large and heavy suitcase. As one elderly lady stepped off the escalator, she stopped and the people following then collided into her in a pile-up. Now, we might have laughed at such an event on YouTube, but this was no laughing matter with some minor injuries.

It reached 350kph

If you had the impression that perhaps there was just the occasional fast train in China as a symbol of the superior progress of this mighty country, you would be mistaken. This infrastructure is now everywhere connecting the great cities of China. It is rather frightening to stand on a platform and feel the power of 350kph train roar by just a metre or two away. 

But as a sign of the future to come, China has purchased from Germany the technology of train travel via electromagnetism. The Shanghai Maglev train is the first and only commercial rail line of its type in the world and links Metro line 2 at Longyang Road with the Pudong International Airport travelling at 431 kph. It takes just 7 minutes and 20 seconds to cover the 30 km trip which currently takes 30-40 mins by car. Costing 10 billion Yuan ( $2.5B), it took 2.5 years to complete. Powered by electromagnetism, it is suspended in air when running about 10mm above the track on a magnetic cushion. 

"A Chinese manufacturer has unveiled a new prototype magnetic levitation (maglev) train with a designed maximum speed of 600km/hr which they say could one day rival air travel.The country’s latest high-speed maglev train, designed by State-owned China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC), is scheduled to go into commercial production in 2021 after some extensive testing of the sleek-looking train."  
https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/while-australian-politicians-still-talk-about-350kmhr-fast-trains-in-china-they-are-aiming-for-600kmhr/news-story/bef2e250e809ae07cb895a2c2db3bb99

But there is more futuristic planning underway: A tunnel is being constructed that will serve to provide for a vacuum with transport speeds expected to exceed 1400 kph. (Remember those cylinders in shops that used to transfer cash and receipts overhead via a similar principle?) I wonder if the word ‘train’ will eventually disappear from the language? James Stephenson could not have imagined what was to become of his train of carriages being hauled by a puffing steam engine just a century or so ago. This country knows how to build infrastructure and it doesn’t wait until the problem it is attempting to solve has become intolerable, but gets on and does it.

M and I are starting to feel exhausted by the hectic pace and decide to take the day off tomorrow and not join the organised tour of Zhongzhou which was to feature a visit to a Shaolin Temple and a Kungfu demonstration. We were not alone with this decision.