Since the interval between flashing trains is only three minutes, the question inevitably arises-how can the trains ensure safety during operation?

The greatest insurance is believed to come from the railway's unprecedented ballastless track. Laid on asphalt and concrete supporting layers, the tracks assure stable position and stand up to heavy loads of high-speed train traffic. Low maintenance expenses and life-cycle costs add to its advantages.

One prerequisite for running a high-speed railway over the long term is track stability, which may be eroded by land subsidence, particularly in soft soil areas. In response, scientists and engineers clamped down on exploitation of underground water along the railway line to minimize land subsidence and also built tracks on adjustable bridges whose bearers can be lifted in the event of subsidence. Their efforts are paying off, as the trains have been running smoothly since the railway line came into operation last year.

Among the innovative scientific creations applied on the railway, the CTCS-3 (Chinese Train Control System-3) is crucial. It automatically monitors and controls train operation according to real-time information transmitted through its wireless communication network. Using this world-class control system, trains can avoid collision, control speed and share safety information between drivers, dispatchers, train engineers and station controllers.

The Beijing-Tianjin inter-city railway is a classic combination of safety and speed built on the back of modern technologies, said Zhang Shuguang, a senior engineer with the Ministry of Railways (MOR).

The trains automatically stop running in quick reaction to any mechanical breakdown discovered by the control system, he added.

Eyeing the future

As China endeavors to facilitate economic growth with a modernized, nationwide transportation network, its scientific innovations are grabbing the global spotlight. The country has dazzled the world in the past few years with a string of technological and scientific breakthroughs, such as the debut of 20,000-ton heavy-haul trains, new methods of railway information management and an intelligent CTC (centralized traffic control) system, Minister of Railways Liu Zhijun said in a statement. The computerized CTC system enables automatic management of train dispatching and railway stations.

But China still has a long way to go toward building a highly efficient and reliable railway network, said the minister, citing the CTCS-3 system as an example that still needs further improvement. Stronger efforts are also needed in the comprehensive detection and maintenance of high-speed railways, he said.

Liu added that the country plans to focus on several key technologies in the coming years, including the construction and management of passenger railways, safety insurance of railway transportation and plateau railway technologies.

Railway officials will also encourage energy conservation and environmental protection technologies on railways and seek to foster a team of world-class railway scientists and engineers, Liu added.