Don't Watch This: Confucius
You're hot then you're cold. What gives, North Korea?
China's sick healthcare system breeding antibiotic-resistant "superbugs"
Meet the Spanish pavilion's Miguelin: the first female Expo mascot?
Feathers ruffled by tire tariffs, China slaps "anti-dumping" duties on chicken products
Apropos of nothing, the previously scrapped maglev train line that would have linked the Pudong and Hongqiao airports together is suddenly being dusted off again. Construction on the proposed 31.8-km train line was shelved in 2007, after everybody realized that it was a terrible idea. Well, at least we thought everybody realized it was a terrible idea.
China Daily reports:
The magnetic levitation train project linking two airports in Shanghai is still under experts' discussion and appraisal, Mayor Han Zheng told a press conference in Shanghai Saturday....
"Experts from the country have been evaluating the project since last year," Han said.
He promised the government would solicit public opinions when the experts produced a conclusion.
Around this time last year, thousands of Shanghainese took to the streets to protest this very stretch of maglev. Besides the plans to displace thousands of families, local residents also took umbrage at possible concerns of electro-magnetic radiation and noise pollution -- the maglev sounds like a bullet when it impacts the air above your head.
While those are all issues worthy of debate, the main question should be why the government is even considering something so impractical and expensive in the first place? The cost for building the Hongqiao-Pudong line would be roughly 500 million yuan per kilometer, which would put the final bill for that roughly 32 kilometer stretch at 1.6 billion yuan - assuming everything goes as smoothly as planned.
Our economy isn't quite so flush anymore, Pudong's in danger of sinking and everyday more of Shanghai's heritage is destroyed to make way for either shoddily constructed super-malls or half-empty mega-towers. Considering Shanghai already has the bragging rights associated with having the first commercial maglev in the world, does it really need another one?
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
post to facebook
Yes it does!
And a third one from Hengshan Lu to my home would be nice, too.
Impracticality is a subjective judgement. Expense is different - what's the depreciation? If there's a stop in downtown, I'm all for it. It would be nice to have something that actually serves the residents of the city rather than just gawking tourists.
Protests about electro-magnetic radiation are and were shown to be totally unfounded.
I've walked underneath the maglev track when the train goes overhead- it sounds a bit like when a truck goes past you at the same distance (let's be honest here, the thing is levitating- why would it be noisy?)
Budget concerns though- yep, I see those. It would be kind of cool to Pudong to Hongqiao in, what, 15 minutes(?) but I'm surprised anyone can justify the cost.
No... the Maglev does NOT sound like a truck passing by. It's more like the roar of a F-1 race car flying over your head when you are standing under the tracks when it is running at it's top speed. I have done this and I can tell you it is VERY LOUD. CJ
Electromagnetic radiation is one of those things that are based partially in fact and partially in paranoia. Waves are harmful (cellphones have been found to reduce sperm count), but whether the maglev produces enough to harm people is really debatable.
However, the noise pollution that comes from that isn't. It's like living next to a freeway, if all the freeway's sound was compressed into one giant BANG every 15 minutes. The maglev doesn't float as completely as it should, so it does actually scrape the track at high speeds.
Reduces sperm count for Shanghainese? Where's the conflict??
say, can maglev be built underground?
Nope, no tunnel,
Imagine the air need to get out of the train in front and be put back, right after.
A under pressure tunnel will do, or a 100m diameter too.. kinda expensive...
"WE thought it was a bad idea"
One ilinformed person does NOT make a "We"
Right, first all the facts. Air travel in China is going to continue to astronomically grow in the next 10, 20, 50 years and the government is planning ahead. The idea behind this extension is because Hongqiao Airport is currently being tripled in size. Hongqiao will continue to be the primary domestic airport serving only a few int'l Asian destinations, while Pudong handles most of the int'l traffic. However, logic dictates you must conveniently connect the two airports as Pudong's passenger throughput is only about 50% O&D traffic and it only serves a fraction of the domestic destinations available at Hongqiao. Forcing connecting passengers to use the subway system or buses is horribly energy and time inefficient. 2 billion USD is expensive, but it is an infrastructure upgrade Shanghai unfortunately will need.
Moreover, to be perfectly frank, NIMBYism has no leg to stand on in this day and age, either legally or morally. This project is for the greater good of Shanghai, it's continued development, and improving everybody's lot in life. Without something of this scale, convenient air transportation in Shanghai could become a serious issue, which in turn would hurt the economy far greater than the price of the extension. Yes, a couple thousand people will have to be relocated, that is very unfortunate. More will see their property values decline. However, if you haven't yet noticed, this happens ALL THE TIME for a very good reason. Look at the big picture please. If China does NOT continually improve the majority of its citizens' lives year after year, the last thing you will need to be worry about is a few thousand people being relocated and a 160 billion RMB investment.
Yes! But I thought that Hongqiao would become at least a regional hub (serving nearby countries) while Pudong becomes more of a long-haul starting point.
"Its the economy, stupid!"
This is part of the economic stimulus.
The central government had asked for proposals from the provinces how to spend the RMB 4 trillion. Proposals for spending RMB 35 trillion were received, and some provinces even have not answered yet....
Lacking better ideas, all shelved projects made it back to the agenda.
You will always find some Shanghai residents who are against something, as a matter of principle, even if they would eventually benefit from it. Therefore, it is actually quite difficult for a government to take them seriously.
Maybe for leaning the technology?
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/EMALS-Electro-Magnetic-Launch-for-Carriers-05220/
learning
well put lockbox朋友 支持
Moneyinabox and Pirx have both made rather cogent points above.
Regarding:
'Our economy isn't quite so flush anymore, Pudong's in danger of sinking and everyday more of Shanghai's heritage is destroyed to make way for either shoddily constructed super-malls or half-empty mega-towers. Considering Shanghai already has the bragging rights associated with having the first commercial maglev in the world, does it really need another one?'
Government spending on the maglev will produce jobs for the people who are building it and add more money into the economy. As Pirx said, this is economic stimulus.
I'm not sure if it's the best way to spend money for a Keynes style economic kickstart.
Won't a lot of the money end up going to the Germans who can actually make the thing work?
The noise of the maglev is shocking because it's so unexpected and quick- you can't hear anything until it's right on top of you, and then it's gone just as quickly. Not like a subway train or plane that you can hear well before it gets to you, and well after it leaves.
Until I see some kind of decibel level info, I'm sticking with my opinion that it's no louder than a truck.
How about just scrapping Hongqiao airport, taking the money for the Maglev(somebody said 2 billion $) and extending Pudong airport accordingly. Then just lay a new express subway line from the current Maglev terminus to the city center with no intermediate stops.
Problem solved. Extending both airports is silly..
Well, if they do build PVG-SHA maglev, I hope they'll make a stop somewhere generally downtown. Building it only as far as Longyang Lu was really retarded. That would be like if New York's AirTrain only went as far as Jamaica, Queens. Zhu Rongji: Thanks for the incredibly expensive novelty that nobody rides!