BIZCHINA> News
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BIZCHINA> News
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Passengers bite the bullet on fast trains
By Xin Dingding (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-05-15 08:44 A number of operation failures on new bullet trains have raised public concern about the cutting-edge technology used for speeding up many rail routes from 160 kph to 200 kph. In less than a month, CRH-5 bullet trains the latest in the series of fast trains were reported to have experienced three breakdowns on the Beijing-Changchun-Harbin line, delaying other trains. The latest breakdown occurred Sunday morning, when bullet train D26 pulled into Beijing Railway Station at 4:30 am, 4 hours and 52 minutes behind schedule. After leaving Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang, the train broke down in Siping, a city southwest of Changchun, capital of Jilin. The air-conditioning system also broke down, and passengers suffered suffocating heat in sealed carriages as the windows took time to open. Each passenger was given a compensation of 200 to 250 yuan ($26 to 33) for the "poor service" on the first-class train. The Ministry of Railways blamed some drivers for failing to handle the automatic protection facility properly. (For more biz stories, please visit Industries)
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