St Pancras-Beijing service anyone???!

[philjo]

Article in today's Daily Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/7397846/Kings-Cross-to-Beijing-in-two-days-on-new-high-speed-rail-network.html

They reckon the line could be completed within the next decade - at this rate it will be finished before we can open a HS line to Birmingham !!

 

[jon0844]

It will certainly be a lot more economical to do this, as well as more relaxing for many compared to long-haul, economy, flights.

And, yes, we'll still be arguing about the route of HS2 and going through the fifteenth public enquiry by the time it is open to France or Belgium!

 

[EM2]

Well, it'd be an easy solution for the customer who asked me how to get to Moscow a few months back!

 

[generalvegitable]

well unlike us the Chinese don't f*ck around, but anyway that is great news for the world railway networks, now all they need to do is cross the bearing strait into the Americas and the world will be (nearly) fully linked up through railways

 

[mrcheek]

OK, Im going! and when I get there Ill do a 2 week "All China Rover"

 

[jopsuk]

They proposing using gauge change high speed trains or are they planning to try and persuade the Russians to have a Standard Gauge line?

 

[37401]

Wonder if its valid on a WMDR? or will there be a High Speed 3 in 2 day rover?

 

[Mojo]

They proposing using gauge change high speed trains or are they planning to try and persuade the Russians to have a Standard Gauge line?

If it's a brand new line wouldn't it be built as standard gauge? Just wondering, given the Spanish have built their HS lines as standard gauge.

 

[Ivo]

And what would become of the Trans-Siberian through this most ambitious scheme?

 

[flymo]

I know it says 5070 miles as the crow flies but as trains aren't crows it may be a little longer. The Great Circle Map from Heathrow - Beijing is an example.

As for Singapore it mentions 6750 miles and that may be true when flying the Great Circle but I wouldn't like travelling through Afghanistan or Kashmir at the moment. :neutral: [I appreciate that airlines use a slightly different routeing here]

Still, a long distance high speed train from Beijing to London would be a fantastic spectacle. If I could get my 'local' high speed from Hong Kong - Beijing to connect into it then so much the better. Wonder if they would offer through tickets from HK - UK and if so would splitting tickets at Beijing be cheaper ??

 

[A60K]

At the moment, if you're travelling to China or the Far East, it's cheaper to split tickets in Bratislava - there's a CityStar offer which (I think) is around €200 Bratislava to Vladivostock or the other Trans-Siberian stations. Incidentally, there are very few places that Bratislava can't issue a ticket to, either in Europe or eastwards.

Wonder if you'll be able to get a Gold Card discounted Boundary Zone 6 to Bejing ticket - would save a few bob. Or alternatively use a combination of Oyster and Octopus

 

[Deerfold]

Article in today's Daily Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/7397846/Kings-Cross-to-Beijing-in-two-days-on-new-high-speed-rail-network.html

They reckon the line could be completed within the next decade - at this rate it will be finished before we can open a HS line to Birmingham !!

Currently, the only rail line that links China to South East Asia is an antiquated track built by the French in Vietnam a century ago. The Asian Development Bank has recently agreed a second £27 million loan as part of the £93 reconstruction of Cambodia's network, which should finish by 2013

Looks like Cambodia are reconstucting their network on the cheap!

 

[tbtc]

(with a rail replacement bus service from Stratford to St Pancras)

 

[90019]

Looks like Cambodia are reconstucting their network on the cheap!

They're spending it on a fleet of these;
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Schienenfahrrad.JPG

 

[j0hn0]

what I find worrying about this proposal though is that the chinese say that they would prefer to be paid in natural resources rather than money. This is the situation with India, and for me, is this the next stage?

 

[mumrar]

This is the situation with India, and for me, is this the next stage?

The next stage in what? If the resources represent more national benefit, why not ask for them. Rather than having the money, then buying the resources with it. Cut out the middle men

 

[A60K]

Sounds like a fairer version of the British Empire to me