中国铁路：放慢点速度吧

爱思英语编者按：据估计，春节期间中国铁路将接受28亿旅客，可见火车票的需求量完全可以预估。然而今年这些旅客不再像往年一样通宵排队买票，取而代之的是也不是一个便捷的方式，花费数小时在网上查询，确认在他们看来已经支付过的票款是否能成功拿到车票同样让这些旅客感到崩溃。

China’s railways

中国铁路

Less express

放慢点速度吧

What the country needs is a more efficient network, not faster trains.

中国需要的是更高效的铁路网络，而不是跑得更快的列车。

But don’t try to buy a ticket online.
 
但是别指望网上能买到票。

CHINA’S love affair with fast trains is gathering steam again. Undaunted by horrendous accidents and massive cost overruns, officials are planning further expansion of the country’s high-speed rail network. A new service has begun between the southern cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen, nearly halving the travel time to 35 minutes. With trains capable of travelling up to 380kph (236mph), the service will eventually be extended to nearby Hong Kong. For those craving even faster speeds, CSR Corp, China’s biggest trainmaker, has unveiled a supertrain (pictured above) said to be inspired by the shape of an ancient Chinese sword. It should slice through the air at 500kph.

中国对高铁的钟情再度升温。面对骇人听闻的铁路事故和大规模成本超额而处变不惊的中国官员正计划进一步扩大国家高铁网络系统。近日在南方两大城市间新开通运营的广深高铁，将运行时间缩短将近一半，达到35分钟。及至列车行驶速度达到380公里/时（时速236英里），铁路系统最终将会延伸到毗邻的香港地区。对于那些想要追求跟高速度的人，中国南车股份有限公司（CSR Corp），作为中国最大的轨道车辆制造商，披露一款“超级高速列车”（如图）。据说该款列车的设计灵感来源于中国古代“剑”的形状。它将以500公里/时的速度行驶，就像剑刃切过空气。

Supertrains are sexy. Politicians love to show them off. But to allow more Chinese people to get where they want to go at a reasonable price, then three less glamorous types of investment would yield better returns. China Rail, the state near-monopoly, is deficient in all three.

超级高速列车非常诱人。政客们热衷于把这些拿出来炫耀。但是若能让更多的中国人以一个的合理的价格去自己想去的地方，那么在另外三方面的投资虽然不会很吸引人，但是将会带来更多的收益。中国铁路，基本享有国家垄断，但在这三个方面均表现出不足。

The first is safety. Standards are patchy. In July a high-speed train crashed near Wenzhou, leaving 40 dead. Officials attempted a cover-up, prompting a wave of popular outrage on the Chinese internet; even the state-controlled media wailed that development had become “stained with blood”. The mood has lifted a little following the recent publication of a surprisingly harsh official report that finds fault with both the design of the railway and its management. It calls for more than 50 officials to be punished. Deeper reforms are required, however.

其一，安全。目前的中国铁路标准不一。六月，一辆动车在温州附近发生撞击事件，导致40人死亡。官方试图掩盖事实真相，由此引发中国互联网上一波热议和愤慨。甚至是国家下属的媒体也发出悲恸的声音，表示国家的发展已经“染上人民的血迹”。近期官方发表的一份调查报告，民众情绪出现些许抬升。这份报告非常严厉地指出事故原因在于铁路设计的缺陷及其管理不当。并下令对50余名相关官员进行处分。然而，深度改革仍然不可或缺。

The second neglected area is information technology. Chaos broke out this week when a new system for online ticket sales at China Rail became overwhelmed. The demand for tickets was completely predictable, as 2.8 billion rail journeys are expected during the Chinese New Year holidays later this month. But instead of enjoying a convenient alternative to queuing all night for paper tickets, as they have done in the past, customers were frustrated by hours wasted online trying to find out if they could actually get the tickets they thought they had paid for.

其二，常被忽视的信息技术。本周，中国铁路新开通的网上售票系统出现瘫痪，春运购票乱成一团。据估计，本月底，春节期间中国铁路将接受28亿旅客，可见火车票的需求量完全可以预估。然而今年这些旅客不再像往年一样通宵排队买票，取而代之的是也不是一个便捷的方式，花费数小时在网上查询，确认在他们看来已经支付过的票款是否能成功拿到车票同样让这些旅客感到崩溃。

The third area is pricing. Fares have historically been tightly regulated and heavily subsidised. This began at a time when China Rail had a de facto monopoly not merely of rail but of inland transport in China. In those days, tight regulation was justified. But no longer, says a new paper by the World Bank. China’s roads are much better, and railways must compete with booming airlines, too.

其三，票价。从以前，火车票价就一直受到严格的调控和丰厚的补贴。这种情形始于中国铁路一度在实际操作中不仅垄断中国铁路，而且垄断中国内陆整个交通运输系统。那时候，严格调控票价是合理的。但是世界银行的一篇新论文提出今时不同往日。中国的公路已经大有改善，铁路系统也必须和蓬勃发展的航空公司同台竞争。

Average incomes in China have risen tenfold since the current pricing and subsidy regime was put in place in 1982. Liberalising fares would allow services to be tailored to meet customers’ needs. In Europe, for example, rail operators offer a wide range of fares and discounts for those who book in advance, travel at odd times or bundle the fare with a packaged holiday—much as airlines have long done.

自从1982年中国出台限行定价及补贴政策以来，老百姓的平均收入已经增长了十倍。自由收费将允许各服务系统根据顾客的需求量身定度票价。例如在欧洲，铁路部门针对提前订票的旅客、在非常规旅游时间出行的旅客和全程安排假期行程的团购旅客给予多种不同的收费标准和打折优惠——正如目前很多航空公司长期实行的一样。

Poverty too could be better addressed by targeted subsidies, off-peak discounts and other measures. The evidence from rail liberalisation in North America and Europe suggests that such reforms could actually reduce fares. With a free hand, railways tend to squeeze more trips out of their trains, provide better service and make more money.

更好地应对贫困问题可以通过有针对性的补贴，非高峰时期折扣等其他措施来实现。北美和欧洲的铁路市场自由化即是很好的例证，由此表明此类改革可以切实有效地降低票价。在自由市场的调控下，铁路公司自然会利用有限的列车挤出更多的班次，提供更优质的服务，然后赚更多的钱。

In short, China needs to rethink how it spends money on rail. That may happen. Although it did not receive the same attention as the supertrain, Sheng Guangzu, the railway minister, was recently quoted by China Daily, an official organ, as saying that there are now plans to slash the investment budget for railways to 400 billion yuan ($64 billion) in 2012—some 44% below the level in 2010. If that makes for a better rail network, then many Chinese will agree that speed is not everything.

总之，中国需要重新思考投资在铁路系统上的钱要怎么才能用在刀刃上。这并不是没有可能实现。尽管这不会像“超级高速列车”这一新闻那么备受关注，但是近日政府机关报《中国日报》，援引铁道部部长盛光祖的话，称2012年计划削减铁路投资预算至4000亿人民币（640美元），同比下降44%。如果此举促成更完善的铁路网络系统，那么许多中国人将会认同“速度并不是一切”。