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Speeding from Beijing to Moscow on New Bullet Train

Posted: 10/16/2014 5:23 pm

high speed rail train chinaNobody can say China isn’t ambitious. After boldly announcing plans to build an underwater train that travels from China to the USA, the country has unveiled another large-scale, cross-border infrastructure project: a high-speed rail line from Beijing to Moscow.

China and Russia have signed a four-party agreement that laid the groundwork for the new rail corridor. The trip will cover more than 7,000 kilometers and last two days.

Construction will take 10 years. The first step is to build a rail line between Moscow and Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, Russia.

China has the most extensive network of high-speed trains in the world as well as the highest number of passengers.

Photo:  cmp,hku

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Guangzhou Escalator Suddenly Speeds Up Creating a Pile of Hurt Bodies

Posted: 08/27/2014 3:44 pm

guangzhou train station escalator malfunctionEleven people were sent to hospital yesterday when an escalator at the Guangzhou East Railway Station malfunctioned, causing a pile-up of 20 people, reports Southern Metropolis Guangzhou.

The escalator in the No. 6 underpass to the train station unexpectedly accelerated during a early morning rush of passengers at around 6am on August 26.

Some people were able to quickly run away from the escalator to try and make their trains, but those who couldn’t escape suffered some painful injuries.  gz train station escalator malfunction 01

Eleven victims were sent to hospital and all are said to be in stable condition. The majority of the victims had skin abrasions and lacerations, and were discharged shortly afterwards.

Emergency Room Director Zeng Yuhui said that two patients had more serious injuries and were required to be admitted overnight. Both are children: one has broken bones while the other requires stitches for deep cuts.

Mr Huang was at the scene:

We were on the escalator when it suddenly sped up. I hadn’t even reacted when I got crushed inside a mass of people. One of the children that fell down had her face cut by a luggage case, and my niece suffered serious injuries when she had her ear torn away.

The escalator involved in incident has been shut down. The railway station says it will look into what happened.

guangzhou train station escalator malfunction

Photos: Southern Metropolis Guangzhou, Money 163

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New Xinjiang Train Station Destroyed By Massive Blaze Just Before Official Opening

Posted: 08/22/2014 2:28 pm

xinjiang railway station fire kumulA train station in Xinjiang that cost RMB 160 million to build has caught on fire just weeks before it was to be finished. The main hall of the Kumul train station caught on fire at around 5:19pm on August 21, reports Sina News, sending plumes of smoke into the sky.

The fire was brought under control by firefighters by 6pm. No injuries were reported.

xinjiang railway station fire kumul

The fire was apparently an accident. Construction workers accidentally ignited a layer of insulation in the walls, which spread quickly. It grew to about 600 square meters in size. The cost of the fire has yet to be determined.

xinjiang railway station fire kumul

Built by the Chinese Railroad No. 12 Department, the Kumul Railway Station was to be the second-largest train station in Xinjiang. Set to be completed by the end of this month, the station was to become operational by the end of the year by providing passengers with high-speed rail service.

Construction on the Kumul Railway Station began in 2012 with the main structure completed in October 2013. The facility featured a total space of 99.97 million square meters and cost RMB 160 million.

The development of transportation infrastructure in Xinjiang is indicative of the area’s double-digit growth rate, but hasn’t alleviated the area’s growing ethnic tensions between Han Chinese and the Uighur minority. Transportation hubs such as train stations have been targeted in bomb and knife attacks that have killed dozens of people.

Reza Hasmath, an expert on Chinese politics at the University of Oxford, has said  “Infrastructure-based development has not been successful in improving meaningful interactions between Hans and Uighurs.”

Here is a video of the fire:

Photos: People’s Daily

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Guangzhou to Nanchang High-Speed Rail to Take Just 5 Hours

Posted: 08/13/2014 6:06 pm

high speed rail trainShenzhen passengers will be able to take a direct train to Nanchang in only five hours before the end of this year, reports SZ News.

Once finished, a trip from Guangzhou to Guiyang will be shortened from 22 hours to four, while a trip from Guangzhou to Nanning will be shortened from 14 hours to three.

The line also means other speedier connections. Once the high-speed railway network is complete, a trip from Shenzhen to Guiyang will take just five hours, while a trip from Shenzhen to Nanning will take just four hours.

Photo: QQ News

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Forget Flights, Now Trains Out of Shanghai Are Delayed, Too

Posted: 07/24/2014 10:13 am

high speed rail trainWe recently informed our readers of the 26 day disruption to air travel that will be affecting east coast cities like Shanghai and Hangzhou. People who need to travel urgently were advised to take China’s state-of-the-art high-speed rail network instead. But now, it turns out, that might not work either.

In light of typhoon Matmo, some train travel has been cancelled in east coast cities. Shanghai has had 19 high-speed rail trains cancelled at Hongqiao Station, and another two trains have been cancelled in Beijing, reports CCTV.

The trains were mostly headed south to areas that are to be affected by the hurricane that include Fujian, Shenzhen.

Ticket holders can get them refunded at the train station.

Photo: cuepa

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Beijing-Guangdong Train Derailed by Landslide

Posted: 06/19/2014 1:20 pm

guangdong train landslide derailA landslide has derailed a train on the Guangzhou-Beijing railway, causing slight injuries to five people, reports Guangzhou Daily.

The landslide was caused by heavy rain. It hit train T171 at around 5am on Thursday near Shakou, in Foshan, about 20km north of the City of Qingyuan in Guangdong.

The train had just left the station at Nanchang and was headed towards Guangzhou. Pictures taken at the scene show dirt coming in through the train windows, covering the train walls.

The passengers are reported to have been evacuated. Emergency response teams have been sent out.

guangdong train landslide derailguangdong train landslide derailguangdong train landslide derailguangdong train landslide derailguangdong train landslide derail

Photos: Foshan Daily, Guangzhou Daily

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Torrential Rainfall Wreaks Havoc on Guangdong, Southern China [UPDATED]

Posted: 05/12/2014 11:56 am

guangdong heavy rain fatalities service disruption transportationA record-setting rainfall that has hammered Guangdong since May 8 has caused numerous fatalities and service disruptions throughout the province and other parts of China.

5 people are dead and another 5 are injured in a traffic accident on the Beijing-Hongkong highway in which an overnight sleeper bus from Hubei overturned near the exit of the Yishan tunnel near Shaoguan, Guangdong at 3:42am on May 11 (pictured above).

Service for 40 high-speed provincial trains has been suspended as of Sunday at 2pm; affected routes include the Guangzhou-Shenzhen railway, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong railway, and the railway stemming from Pingguan, Guangxi.

Due to a landslide near Guangming, service of the high-speed rail between Guangzhou-Shenzhen was not restored as of 12pm today, but is reported to be operational now. Caijing reports that provincial high-speed rail service is still not operational as of 1:44pm today as the landslide obstruction has still not been dealt with.

guangdong heavy rain fatalities service disruption transportation

Ticket sales for Provincial train travel were suspended at 4pm on May 11 with the last train having departed at 2:43pm. Passengers onboard train D7037 from Guangzhou to Dongguan reported being stuck in transit, and were delayed by 6 hours. Medical attention was called for 2 passengers with health conditions.

dongguan rain rescue children students school23 students and 12 teachers had to be rescued from flood waters at the Huate School in Tangxia Longjing Garden, Dongguan.

guangdong heavy rain fatalities service disruption transportationCommuters lend a hand in Shenzhen as the G107 bus near Airport Road in Bao’an District breaks down in traffic.

bus fungus rain guangdong guangzhouThe heavy rainfall has led to the growth of mushrooms to crop up on Guangzhou city buses.

23 flights were cancelled with some 300 flights delayed at Hong Kong International Airport on Sunday and early Monday morning while Shenzhen Airport canceled at least 48 flights.

Water was discharged from the Shenzhen reservoir at 8pm on May 11 to relieve excess pressure that may have caused flooding in parts of Hong Kong’s New Territories.

guangdong heavy rain fatalities service disruption transportationIn other parts of China, the heavy rain is cited as the cause for an earthen wall collapsing onto a factory in Qingdao, Shandong Province. 18 people are dead with three hurt when the wall collapsed onto the temporary housing dormitory for the factory’s workers on May 11 at 5:48pm.

The rain is also blamed for the death of a farmer in Hunan Province who was the victim of a rain-triggered landslide, as well as a fatality in Guangxi.

On Sunday, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters stated the rain has destroyed 1,400 houses, forcing the evacuation of more than 50,000 residents and flooding 15,000 hectares of cropland throughout Guangdong, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces.

Hunan was reported to have relocated 50,400 people while Guangxi relocated 4,139 people and suffered damages to 945 houses, incurring a total economic loss of approximately 75 million yuan (12 million USD).

China Daily reports the disaster to have affected 1,216,000 people over five provinces, 23 cities, and 77 counties.

Photos: Weibo (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), Nandu

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Eyewitness Accounts Depict Horrors of Guangzhou Railway Station Attack

Posted: 05/7/2014 9:17 am

Mr Yang dropped his luggage and ran for his life when he heard a shout break out in the Guangzhou train station that said, “Someone is slashing people. Run!”

Mr Ren, who accompanied Yang on the same train on May 6, even reminded him to bring his luggage, but Yang did not heed his call. For Yang, running for his life was a familiar instinct given this was the second knife attack he has experienced. Yang was also at the Kunming Railway Station during the knife attack that left 29 people dead last March.

Yang managed to escape both attacks safely.

READ: Knife Attack at Guangzhou Railway Station Injures Six [UPDATED]

When interviewed by Nanfang Metroplis Daily afterwards, Yang said: “I don’t know why I am so unfortunate. On that day (of the Kunming attack), I was seeing my friend off at the train station when I heard people saying someone was attacking people. Today, just as I walked out the station, the same thing happened again.” The attack was so traumatic that Yang ran and hid in a branch of the China Post located in the west corner of the station. Yang sat there for two hours before he recovered. “I saw the attacker slash a man’s neck. The man covered the wound with his hands, but it was dripping with blood,” Yang recalled.

The police said six people were injured during the attack that happened before noon on May 6. Eyewitnesses first claimed there were four knife-wielding attackers wearing white clothes and white hats, but police later confirmed there was only one attacker.

(Here is an image of the alleged attacker circulating online; the attacker is standing on the left side.) 

Another witness named Ms Zhou was originally at the station to pick someone up when she saw a man wearing white clothes charge towards a crowd in her direction. She saw the attacker hack at the back of a woman’s neck. Zhou said, “Her long hair was cut off instantly, and I saw the knife cut deep into her neck. I don’t know how the woman is now.”

A porter surnamed Chen said the attacker was still standing when the police fired a shot at his abdomen. “The police asked him to drop his knife, but he refused and charged towards the police, wielding his weapon. Another porter tripped him from behind, and he eventually fell on the ground. Three policemen made the arrest,” Chen said.

The identity of the attacker is currently unknown; the suspect was not carrying any identification at the time of arrest.

The Guangzhou attack was the third attack at a Chinese train station in recent history. The Kunming knife attack took place in March, and an explosion happened last week at a train station in Urumqi, Xinjiang. During that incident, the detonation of a bomb killed three (two attackers and one civilian) and wounded 79 people.

Home page credit: Guangzhou Daily 

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Knife Attack at Guangzhou Train Station Injures Six People [UPDATED]

Posted: 05/6/2014 2:27 pm

knife attack train station guangzhou A knife attack at Guangzhou Railway Station has left six people injured, reports the SCMP.

The attack occurred Tuesday morning at around 11:30am. A police officer present at the scene shot and subdued one of the attackers. Other attackers are reported to have fled the scene.

Eyewitnesses at the scene say the attack happened after the K366 train from Kunming arrived at the station. At that time, a group of young people people wearing white shirts, pants and hats began to indiscriminately attack passerbys using knives with blades half a meter long.

The station is currently shut down, and train passengers occupying it have left the building.

We will update as details come in.knife attack train station guangzhouknife attack train station guangzhouknife attack train station guangzhouknife attack train station guangzhou

UPDATE 1, May 6, 2014 2:47pm: The People’s Daily Online reports two knife-wielding assailants started their attack in front of the post office in the plaza of the Guangzhou Railway Station. Attacked were four people just leaving the station, two men and two women, of whom one sustained a neck injury.

The entrances to the Guangzhou Railway Station are now open, which has resumed normal operations again.

Four of the victims have been taken to the Guangzhou Military District Hospital, and are in stable condition. Guangzhou Party Council Secretary Wan Qingliang and mayor Chen Jianhua have gone to the hospital to visit them.
knife attack update guangzhou railway station

knife attack update guangzhou railway station

knife attack update guangzhou railway stationknife attack update guangzhou railway station

UPDATE 2, May 6, 2014 3:11pm: People’s Daily Online reports eyewitness accounts from taxi drivers who stated the suspects were squatting nearby the taxi stand for a period of two hours. Suddenly, the suspects stood up and took out knives from their bags that were concealed by their clothes. Not ten meters away from where they had been waiting, the suspects attacked baggage handlers and train passengers before heading off towards the center of the plaza. Police reportedly arrived on the scene one minute later.

UPDATE 3, May 6, 2014 3:37pm: Chinanews reports one of the victims is a Miss Liu Yuying, from Baotou, Inner Mongolia. Liu is on a group tour with her brother and sister and about to take a picture upon exiting the train station when a knife-wielding attacker charged towards them. In trying to escape, Liu fell down and tore her left knee. She is currently being treated at the Guangzhou military hospital.

The Southern Capital Report reported a Mr Yang as being a person with the distinction of having witnessed the March 1 Kunming railway attack as well as this one that happened today. Mr Yang had taken the K366 train that just arrived from Kunming when the attacks happened.

UPDATE 4, May 6, 2014 6:26pm: Caijing reports eyewitnesses having seen three attackers at the scene.

A fight that occurred on the second tier of the overpass at Huanshizhong Road in Yuexiu District and left behind a piece of bloody clothing has been confirmed as not related to the incident at the railway station. Previous reports stating an additional arrest has been made are now confirmed false.

Shenzhen security at the Luohu Railway Station, Luohu Port, and Luohu Metro Station have all been increased dramatically with armed guards. knife attack guangzhou

UPDATE 5, May 6, 2014 6:51pm: People’s Daily Online reports the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau as saying there was only one person involved in the knife attack that took place at the Guangzhou Railway Station, and not the multiple attackers previously reported. This same person is the one shot and detained by police, and is currently receiving medical treatment.

Photos: Weibo (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

Related:
Knife Attack at Shenzhen North Station Watched by Crowd of Bystanders

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There’s A Lot of People in China: Labor Day Holiday Edition

Posted: 05/2/2014 1:30 pm

Xiaomeisha resortToday in “aren’t you glad you stayed at home“:

Over 30,000 tourists jammed the Xiaomeisha Holiday Resort in Shenzhen to enjoy the sand and sun in the pleasure of each other’s company (picture above).

jiangmen traffic jamTraffic has been congested on the Shenyang-Haikou Expressway at the Jiangmen section since 9am today with a queue measuring over 2km long. At least it’s not as bad as the 55km long standstill on the Beijing-Tibet Expressway.

guangshen delay guangzhou shenzhen high speed rail trainYesterday on May 1, mechanical problems on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen high-speed railway delayed the operating schedule by over an hour in some circumstances and stranded passengers at both terminal locations.

Photos: Weibo (2, 3)

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