Prudence should govern Beijing-shanghai rail plan

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, January 19, 2004

Prudence should govern Beijing-shanghai rail plan

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A widely quoted Beijing Times report on Thursday stating authorities had excluded magnetic levitation and opted for track-wheel technologies for the proposed Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway turned out to be another journalistic falsehood.

The Ministry of Railways denied the claim on Friday. The long-term plan for railway network construction, which got the State Council's seal of approval on January 7, does not involve the technical scheme for the Beijing-Shanghai express rail, according to the ministry.

The same day, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, addressing media enquiries about the rumour, confirmed feasibility studies have yet to bear a conclusion.

While this clarification embarrassed our colleagues, since we are supposed to report only the truth, it is good to know a final decision is pending.

Some anxious to enlist the mammoth project as an additional tribute to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, or the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, might read the protracted process as feet-dragging.

But unless we exhaust all means conducive to an informed decision, we might again find ourselves irrevocably but unwillingly committed to a costly undertaking.

This country has suffered more than enough from infatuation with the grandiose.

Even Germany and Japan, two of the world's wealthiest countries and leaders in researching magnetic levitation, have not yet put the technology into commercial operation.

Germany has reportedly scrapped its plan to build a maglev line between Hamburg and Berlin. Japan, after enormous research spending over the past four decades, remains undecided over whether to build a maglev link between Tokyo and Osaka.

Cost is the primary obstacle, but not the only one.

No matter what we ultimately choose - magnetic levitation, track-wheel, or tilting train - the cost of the 1,400-kilometre project will be astronomical. A magnetic levitation line, the most expensive option, may cost 400 million yuan (US$48 million) per kilometre, according to Chinese experts.

Such a project is no small undertaking for a country whose gross domestic product has just crossed the 10 trillion yuan (US$1.2 trillion) threshold.

The price tag alone justifies decision-makers' prudence. They have an obligation to make sure every cent from taxpayers is spent in the most sensible manner.

Whether or not we finally embrace or avoid the expensive maglev option, the decision should be made on the basis of solid analysis and extensive consultation.

We should have patience if we want an optimal result.

Cost should be important, but not the sole consideration in making such a choice.

We do not have to avoid things others have avoided. We have our own conditions. But outside experiences may serve as valuable reference for informed decisions.

An essential reason for the relief we felt over the Ministry of Railways' denial was our belief that any decision of such high stakes and so closely related to taxpayer interests is premature before consultation with the general public.

Taxpayers, who will actually finance the project once a decision is made, deserve a say here. They should at least be fully informed about the project.

The authorities have learned that to hold hearings is necessary when decisions impacting the public interest are to be made. There is no harm in listening to the public before drawing a conclusion.

Differing opinions might prolong the decision-making process, but they are always enlightening.

Source: China Daily

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