Getting back on track

Were it not for the recent spate of problems, we would have been acclaiming the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed line as the railway authorities expected.

On July 10, 10 days after the high-profile launch of the line, a dozen high-speed trains on the route were halted for about 90 minutes following a power failure caused by thunderstorms and heavy winds in Shandong province.

On July 12, a power failure in Anhui province caused the delay of several trains, and this was followed the next day by the breakdown of a train heading from Shanghai to Beijing, which delayed passengers by more than two hours.

The lack of a timely explanation from the railway personnel about the problem adds to anxiety and chaos among passengers.

The three incidents within only four days have resulted in public concern about the safety of high-speed trains and dissatisfaction with after-accident management and services.

However, the railway authorities responded by saying that the automatic halting of trains in these minor incidents demonstrates the high safety standards applied to the country's high-speed lines. Such arguments may be logical reasoning, but fall short in satisfying needs of passengers and market operations.

A team of 30 Chinese engineering academicians and experts inspected the safety aspects of the Beijing-Shanghai line, including its communication signals, power supply and operation control, ahead of its formal launch and concluded that the line meets the required national safety standards.

Some railway experts have pointed out that it is normal for problems to occur, especially on a new line. Even in Japan, the widely recognized birthplace of high-speed trains, similar problems also occasionally occur.

We have not stinted on our applause for the remarkable progress we have achieved in recent years in developing our country's high-speed rail network. As a developing nation that started its high-speed rail construction much later than developed countries, the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway speaks volumes for its technical achievements.

However, the recent problems indisputably tell us that the high-speed rail software and emergency management require tangible improvements, although we have achieved outstanding and admirable hardware performances.

As a move that was reportedly going to pose a challenge to aviation companies, the current high-speed rail services and emergency management, if not substantially improved, will dampen people's enthusiasm for high-speed trains.

To regain public support for high-speed trains, the railway authorities should conduct a thorough probe into the Beijing-Shanghai line and then open investigation results to the public. It should also respond efficiently to public calls for compensation in a direct rather than in an ambiguous manner.