A power cut brought the new US$33 billion high-speed rail link between Beijing and Shanghai to a standstill on Sunday, Chinese railway authorities said, just 10 days after its high-profile launch.
Nineteen trains were halted for about 90 minutes when thunderstorms and heavy winds brought down the power supply to a section of the line at about 6pm, the Beijing Railway Bureau said.
Passengers said lights went out and carriages quickly overheated as air conditioning systems in the trains stopped operating.
“The carriage is dark and sweltering. We can’t afford power failures on the high-speed train,” wrote one blogger who called himself Brother Jiabo, apparently posting from the train.
“Isn’t it too fragile? Is this the so-called high technology?” another user wrote on a social networking site in response to the railway authority’s statement.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) formally opened the new line, which halves the rail journey time between the two cities, on June 30, although it had been operating on a trial basis since mid-May.
He said the high-speed line — launched on the eve of celebrations to mark the 90th birthday of the Chinese Communist Party — would be key to “improving the modern transport system ... and satisfying people’s traveling needs.”
The China Daily said yesterday the power supply incident had raised fresh concerns over the safety of the landmark link, which opened a year ahead of schedule.
“Many micro-bloggers said they would not choose high-speed trains after this incident, as punctuality and the ability to operate regardless of the weather were meant to be its advantages,” the paper said.
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