OK, so Britain is looking at building the High Speed 2 line initially to run from London to Birmingham. But what about the rolling stock that is to go ON the line? Well, that is going to be the next big debate. Britain really does not have the ability to build these trains itself. Indeed, with the awarding of a contract to Siemens for the expansion of British rail rolling stock, Britain's last main train building factory is being significantly downsized!
So, where are we going to get the new stuff from, if we cant do it ourselves? Well, there are basically 4 countries touting their services in order to win the bid. France, Germany, Japan, and China. So, which one should Britain go for?
Well, lets have a look at the railways involved. However, this is going to be totally un-scientific!
Lets start with China. Its first alphabetically.
China has nearly 10,000 km of high speed line, with 3,500 being rated for services in excess of 330kph. A lot of this has sprung up within the last 10 years of construction, with the first line being opened in 2007. China enjoys ridership 290,540,000 people a year.
However, this year was the year of the Crash.China's breakneck charge into high speed rail has cast a dim light on the network itself, with worries of sub-standard quality control, corruption, and poor design. Indeed, most of the technology involved is essentially re-engineered German or Japanese technology. Some might say, re-engineered poorly.
With only 4 years of operation, China has already had a deadly smash up.
Should Britain buy Chinese? Well, it would probably work out cheaper, but we are dealing with massive machines travelling at stupid speeds. Somewhat different from a kids plastic toy. China's railways are unproven, and this smash casts a pall over it. I'd put them well down the list.
Next up, France.
The French introduced its first high speed rail way back in the 60's, not long after Japan. And, like Japan, runs its TGV on dedicated lines. France's network is nearly 2000km long, and has 93 million people a year.
Now, The TGV does enjoy an excellent record, 3 derailments, with no major incidents, and no fatalities.
Should Britain buy French? Well, they are our neighbours, and we already use French built rolling stock, with the Eurostar services running from London through the Channel Tunnel. It is a tried technology, and France has had a lot of success exporting it round the world, with TGV based rolling stock in use in Spain and Korea, to name but 2.
However, they ARE French.
Next up, Germany.
They kind of got in to the game a bit late, with the first services running in the early 90's. Also, the ICE network is not totally dedicated to ICE services. It is in some cases, mixed. The network enjoys a ridership of just over 77 million, and has seen 10 incidents. None resulting in fatalities, and caused by things on the line. Ranging from cars and trucks, to sheep.
However, Germany did have the Eschede disaster, when an ICE service derailed resulting in significant loss of life, caused by a wheel suffering from fatigue and cracking. All ICE wheels have since been re-designed, and replaced.
So, should we buy German? Why not? It is tried and tested, with only the one incident. The Germans also got on with finding the fault, and re-designing that part that failed. Also, the trains have enjoyed success overseas, in use in Spain, Russia, and China.
The home of the high speed rail service. The first service running from Tokyo to Osaka way back in the early 1960's. Japan has a network of about 2,400km of track, and just over 353,000,000 people riding the Shinkansen services. As for safety, Japan has the best record. 1 incident which resulted in a derailment, with the Chuetsu earthquake tipping a train off the rails. No fatalities. Otherwise, that's it.
So, what about Japanese? I'd say this has to be the favourite. Best safety record, excellent reliability (puncuality is measured in seconds!), AND most importantly for the NIMBY's in Britain, the Japanese have spent ages researching tunnel design and train design to get their trains as quiet as possible. Something that is as important in Japan as it is in the UK, given that both are island nations with dense populations. Granted, it would mean buying Japanese ducks, rather than the more sleek-looking French and German counterparts, but given that most people will only get a fleeting glimpse as it whistles past, or are sat inside, its not such a big deal!
