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| Are superfast trains speeding down the tracks? | Are superfast trains speeding down the tracks? |
| (about 20 hours later) | |
| At the time the UK was completing its first stretch of high-speed rail in 2007, China had barely left the station. | At the time the UK was completing its first stretch of high-speed rail in 2007, China had barely left the station. |
| Nearly a decade on, Britain still has only that same 68-mile (109km) stretch of track, but China has built itself the longest high-speed network in the world. | Nearly a decade on, Britain still has only that same 68-mile (109km) stretch of track, but China has built itself the longest high-speed network in the world. |
| At more than 12,000km (7,450 miles) in total, it is well over double the length of the European and Japanese networks combined. | |
| So if you want to get a sense of what the future of rail travel might look like, China would seem to be the place to come. | So if you want to get a sense of what the future of rail travel might look like, China would seem to be the place to come. |
| Vacuum velocity | Vacuum velocity |
| As it stands, train technology doesn't seem to have changed much for decades. | As it stands, train technology doesn't seem to have changed much for decades. |
| The UK may have just received its first Hitachi-made Super Express high-speed train capable of running at up to 140mph (225km/h), but this is hardly a quantum leap forward. | The UK may have just received its first Hitachi-made Super Express high-speed train capable of running at up to 140mph (225km/h), but this is hardly a quantum leap forward. |
| The much-loved InterCity 125 - as its name suggests - could do 125mph back in the 1970s. And France's TGV and Spain's AVE travel at more than 190mph. | The much-loved InterCity 125 - as its name suggests - could do 125mph back in the 1970s. And France's TGV and Spain's AVE travel at more than 190mph. |
| So when will we see truly superfast trains bulleting through the countryside, capable of speeds of several hundred miles per hour? | So when will we see truly superfast trains bulleting through the countryside, capable of speeds of several hundred miles per hour? |
| A lot of hopes are being pinned on "evacuated tube transport" (ETT) technology, inside China and elsewhere. | A lot of hopes are being pinned on "evacuated tube transport" (ETT) technology, inside China and elsewhere. |
| Friction is the enemy of speed, and air friction increases exponentially the faster we go. This means the current upper limit for conventional high-speed trains is about 250mph. | Friction is the enemy of speed, and air friction increases exponentially the faster we go. This means the current upper limit for conventional high-speed trains is about 250mph. |
| So the theory is that by running trains through vacuum tubes, and raising them off the tracks using existing maglev [magnetic levitation] technology, drag could be reduced to near zero. | So the theory is that by running trains through vacuum tubes, and raising them off the tracks using existing maglev [magnetic levitation] technology, drag could be reduced to near zero. |
| These ETT trains could potentially travel at over 1,000mph. | These ETT trains could potentially travel at over 1,000mph. |
| While the much talked-about Hyperloop proposed by Tesla Motors and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, will be trialled in California next year, China is already ahead of the game. | While the much talked-about Hyperloop proposed by Tesla Motors and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, will be trialled in California next year, China is already ahead of the game. |
| Dr Deng Zigang, from the Applied Superconductivity Laboratory at China's Southwest Jiaotong University, has built just such a system: a 6m radius vacuum train tunnel and he has begun testing. | Dr Deng Zigang, from the Applied Superconductivity Laboratory at China's Southwest Jiaotong University, has built just such a system: a 6m radius vacuum train tunnel and he has begun testing. |
| Hot air? | Hot air? |
| But these are early days. Reports suggest Dr Deng's small train has so far only reached speeds of 15.5mph (25km/h), and there are many who doubt whether such technology will ever become a reality. | |
| "Viable public transport needs a lot more than experiments," says Prof Sun Zhang, a railway expert from Shanghai's Tongji University. | "Viable public transport needs a lot more than experiments," says Prof Sun Zhang, a railway expert from Shanghai's Tongji University. |
| "It needs to be achievable in construction, they have to be able to control the risk, and they have to have concern about the cost. | "It needs to be achievable in construction, they have to be able to control the risk, and they have to have concern about the cost. |
| "So my personal view," he adds, "is that, at this stage at least, this is just a theory." | "So my personal view," he adds, "is that, at this stage at least, this is just a theory." |
| Jeremy Acklam, transport expert at the Institution of Engineering and Technology, agrees that a combination of maglev and vacuum technologies would be "very much more expensive" than traditional high-speed rail. "We need to ask ourselves how much extra speed is worth?" he says. | Jeremy Acklam, transport expert at the Institution of Engineering and Technology, agrees that a combination of maglev and vacuum technologies would be "very much more expensive" than traditional high-speed rail. "We need to ask ourselves how much extra speed is worth?" he says. |
| Maglev tech is expensive because the repelling magnets and copper coils use a lot of electricity, and the track infrastructure is far more complex than conventional steel rails. | Maglev tech is expensive because the repelling magnets and copper coils use a lot of electricity, and the track infrastructure is far more complex than conventional steel rails. |
| "Achieving a vacuum across a long distance is a significant engineering challenge," says Mr Acklam. | "Achieving a vacuum across a long distance is a significant engineering challenge," says Mr Acklam. |
| Then there are the safety issues. | Then there are the safety issues. |
| How would passengers be evacuated if the train broke down, and how would the emergency services gain access? | How would passengers be evacuated if the train broke down, and how would the emergency services gain access? |
| There's also the obvious point that many people might not like travelling in a tube with no windows to look through. | There's also the obvious point that many people might not like travelling in a tube with no windows to look through. |
| Tomorrow's Transport is a series exploring innovation in all forms of future mobility. | Tomorrow's Transport is a series exploring innovation in all forms of future mobility. |
| While TV screens and video projections could make the experience less claustrophobic, it would still take some getting used to. | While TV screens and video projections could make the experience less claustrophobic, it would still take some getting used to. |
| Despite such drawbacks, Mr Acklam still believes that the hyperloop concept is one "whose time has come". | Despite such drawbacks, Mr Acklam still believes that the hyperloop concept is one "whose time has come". |
| Maglev magic? | Maglev magic? |
| Meanwhile, Japan is powering ahead with maglev technology. | Meanwhile, Japan is powering ahead with maglev technology. |
| In October last year it approved plans to build what will be the world's fastest train line, capable of whisking passengers between Tokyo and Nagoya at more than 310mph (500km/h). | |
| If the line is eventually built, for a cost of a little over $50bn (£34bn), it will be the world's first inter-city maglev line, shaving a whole hour off the current journey time of 1 hour 40 minutes. | If the line is eventually built, for a cost of a little over $50bn (£34bn), it will be the world's first inter-city maglev line, shaving a whole hour off the current journey time of 1 hour 40 minutes. |
| China, of course, does have its own maglev line in Shanghai, carrying passengers from the international airport in Pudong into the city. | China, of course, does have its own maglev line in Shanghai, carrying passengers from the international airport in Pudong into the city. |
| But it is often held up, not as a shining example of the benefits of high-speed rail, but of the pitfalls of pursuing big infrastructure projects for their own sake. | But it is often held up, not as a shining example of the benefits of high-speed rail, but of the pitfalls of pursuing big infrastructure projects for their own sake. |
| The line does indeed whoosh passengers into the city at breathtaking speed, but not to the city centre, meaning travellers then have to find other ways to complete their journeys. | The line does indeed whoosh passengers into the city at breathtaking speed, but not to the city centre, meaning travellers then have to find other ways to complete their journeys. |
| And for many, now that the metro has been extended all the way to the airport, this offers a regular, reliable and cheap alternative. | And for many, now that the metro has been extended all the way to the airport, this offers a regular, reliable and cheap alternative. |
| Rail expansion | Rail expansion |
| While we're waiting for these superfast trains to arrive, we'll have to make do with more conventional high-speed trains. | While we're waiting for these superfast trains to arrive, we'll have to make do with more conventional high-speed trains. |
| China's lead in the technology means it has become the partner of choice in more than a dozen countries. And it is in talks with many more. | China's lead in the technology means it has become the partner of choice in more than a dozen countries. And it is in talks with many more. |
| No other country has seen such a rapid expansion of mass transportation. | No other country has seen such a rapid expansion of mass transportation. |
| And things look set to stay that way. | And things look set to stay that way. |
| China is planning to double the size of its network again within the next five years or so and has recently confirmed plans to build a $242bn high-speed rail link to Moscow. | China is planning to double the size of its network again within the next five years or so and has recently confirmed plans to build a $242bn high-speed rail link to Moscow. |
| The benefit of all of this railway construction, at least in the short term, has been obvious in the form of a huge investment-driven boost for the economy. | The benefit of all of this railway construction, at least in the short term, has been obvious in the form of a huge investment-driven boost for the economy. |
| And in such a vast country, reducing journey times has been good for business. | And in such a vast country, reducing journey times has been good for business. |
| The train journey from Beijing to Guangzhou - now the world's longest unbroken high-speed rail journey at 2,298km - now takes eight hours rather than 20, and costs just over $100. | The train journey from Beijing to Guangzhou - now the world's longest unbroken high-speed rail journey at 2,298km - now takes eight hours rather than 20, and costs just over $100. |
| The main question for China is whether such a massive expansion is commercially sustainable. | The main question for China is whether such a massive expansion is commercially sustainable. |
| "We're still seeing large growth in air and rail travel around the world," says Mr Acklam. "There doesn't seem to be a reduction in the need to travel in the digital era. | "We're still seeing large growth in air and rail travel around the world," says Mr Acklam. "There doesn't seem to be a reduction in the need to travel in the digital era. |
| "Business always demands more speed." | "Business always demands more speed." |