A safety row hits a Chinese high-speed railway. How serious is the problem?
- State-owned outlet says foundation pillars for a rail bridge in Shandong were shorter than the design length and accuses a construction firm of cutting corners
- But engineering analysts suggest other factors, such as geology, must be considered before assuming the worst
But some industry experts have argued that a more comprehensive investigation is needed to determine the truth. They said shorter-than-design pile lengths were normal in engineering, and that the scandal might be more about a bureaucratic dispute than a safety issue.
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Chongqing-Wanzhou high-speed rail project bores its first tunnel
The debate revolves around the construction of the Lai Rong high-speed railway in Shandong province in eastern China. The rail project forms an integral part of the province’s high-speed railway network, spanning 193km (120 miles) and allowing a top train speed of 350km/h.
About 50km of the railway was built by China Construction Eighth Engineering Division (also known as Eighth Division), with construction starting in November 2020. An initial quality examination of the project was completed in late June.
Sanjie Industry Co Ltd of Henan province in central China, one of the subcontractors for that section of the railway line, lodged a report alleging “corruption and violation of the law”.
“They claimed that the Eighth Division was skimping on construction materials, causing quality issues with the piles in some sections of the rail’s foundation,” according to the report by Economic Information Daily.
