阿拉善盟考试中心网:动车召回凸显中国铁路业面临新障碍

2011年 08月 12日 10:25动车召回凸显中国铁路业面临新障碍
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中国引以为豪的京沪高铁线路上的动车组被召回；一家铁路建设公司放弃了其资金募集计划；政府在对新建和现有铁路进行安全检查的同时也暂停了未来扩张计划的审批。这些最新迹象表明，中国正在谨慎对待其大规模高速铁路系统。

7月下旬在中国东南部城市温州附近发生的动车追尾事故导致40人死亡，190多人受伤，这次事故令中国数千亿美元的铁路建设雄心遭受了冲击。中国原本计划高速铁路网到2020年超过1.6万公里，建设成本超过3,000亿美元。事故发生后，中国铁路业就面临着外界有关高铁建设速度是否过快的担忧，以及对资金紧张问题日益严格的关注。

周五，中国列车制造商中国北车股份有限公司（CNRCorp.，简称：中国北车）宣布，该公司将召回54列目前运营在问题重重的京沪高铁线上的CRH380BL动车组，以进行检测。京沪高铁是中国高速铁路系统的骄傲。中国北车没有为此次召回给出一张时间表。尽管至少另一家列车制造商生产的动车组也运营在京沪高铁线上，但召回事件仍可能减少京沪高铁列车的开行对数。

相关阅读中国北车由于安全原因召回54列动车组
中国高铁票价将下调5%左右
中国中铁终止9.72亿美元非公开发行计划
中国国务院决定暂停审批新的铁路项目
中国政府要求提高政务透明度
京沪高铁上座率107% 铁路数据遭质疑
动车事故凸显中国铁道部债务忧虑
动车事故或放缓铁道部融资步伐
评论：中国高速铁路之忧
中国北车本周早些时候也宣布暂缓交付17列CRH380BL动车组，以等待安全检查。中国北车估计这笔订单价值67亿元（约合10亿美元）。铁道部曾赞誉CRH380BL，因为该车曾创下487.3公里的时速新纪录。

周四，新华社援引中国北车一位负责人的话说，将对列车上1,000多个监测压力、速度和温度的传感器进行检测。报道说由一家外国公司制造的这种传感器可能是导致今年7月京沪高铁多次停车的原因。报道没有给出这家外国公司的名字。

同样在周四，中国中铁股份有限公司（China Railway GroupLtd.，简称：中国中铁）表示，在未能获得监管部门的批准后，公司将终止规模达62.4亿元的非公开发行A股股票的方案。中国中铁以“国家宏观政策的调整”（而非安全考虑）为由说明其放弃方案的原因。此次非公开发行股票的计划已筹备一年多。

上周，在香港上市的另一家中国列车制造商中国南车股份有限公司（CSR Corp.，简称：中国南车）说，将无限期推迟召开就人民币110亿元定向增发计划进行投票的股东大会。

同时，多年来被认为是中国蓝筹债券发行人之一的铁道部现在面临越来越多分析师对其债务负担的仔细检查。铁道部的债务负担已经超过2万亿元。由于外界猜测中国官员可能将铁道部作为监管机构和全球最大铁路系统的运营者的双重身份拆分开来，投资者质疑铁道部是否还能保持目前这种“崇高”地位。

铁道部周一再次发行人民币融资债券。但铁道部向地方银行发行的并非长期债券，而是200亿元的短期融资债券。这批三月期的融资券利率高达5.55%。

铁道部官员拒绝置评。

与此同时，中国政府也在呼吁加强安全监管。

中国政府最高行政机构国务院周三下令暂停审批新的铁路建设项目，要求对现有铁路及在建项目进行全面安全检查，并要求“适当”降低最高时速。国务院称这是暂时的举措，并说政府依然致力于高速铁路建设。

新检查的实际影响令人质疑。2011年用于铁路的开支已经会比2010年略有减少，并且似乎在数月前就已经计划减速，现有的扩张计划也获准继续实施。

北京方面初步认定温州动车事故的原因是有“设计缺陷”的信号系统遭雷击后出故障，导致一列快速行进的开往福州方向的动车与另一列缓慢行进的动车追尾。此后一直未提供新的细节。两周前，温家宝总理赴事故现场，并说有关部门正在进行“严肃认真”的调查，要求事故调查处理的全过程要公开透明，接受社会和群众的监督。

铁道部部长盛光祖对新华社说，高铁时速可能会下调50公里，时速因不同设备和运行线路不同有所差别。最高设计时速350公里的高铁将按时速300公里开行。盛光祖在4月份也曾表示会从7月1日开始实施下调最高时速的计划。此前，为中国铁路提供部分技术的日本列车制造商提出了高铁速度过高存在安全隐患的担忧。盛光祖是在2月份前任铁道部长刘志军因腐败丑闻落马后上任的。

国务院还公布了7?23事故调查组人员名单，组长仍由国家安全生产监督管理总局局长骆琳担任，成员包括政府官员、业内专家以及学者。

China CNR Recalls Bullet Trains; Beijing Halts Approvals Of New Projects
In the latest signs that China is exercising new caution about itsmassive high-speed rail system, bullet trains that serve its vauntedBeijing-Shanghai line were recalled, a railway construction groupabandoned fund-raising plans and the government suspended futureexpansion approvals while safety checks are performed on new andexisting lines.

China's multibillion-dollar rail ambitions--toextend high-speed rail to 16,000 kilometers by 2020, at a cost topping$300 billion--took a hit late last month following a collision ofhigh-speed trains near the southeastern city of Wenzhou that killed 40people and injured more than 190 others. The sector has since facedconcerns about the speed of railway construction--as well as increasedscrutiny over financial strains.

On Friday, Chinese train makerCNR Corp. said it would recall for testing 54 of its CRH380BL bullettrains now operational on the troubled Beijing-Shanghai line, the prideof the country's high-speed system. The company didn't offer a timetablefor the recall but it could reduce traffic, though trains from at leastone other equipment maker also serve the high-speed route.

Pendingsafety inspections, CNR had earlier this week also announced delayeddelivery of 17 more CRH380BL carriages, an order it valued at 6.7billion yuan, or around $1 billion. The Railway Ministry credits theCRH380BL with a record-breaking speed of 487.3 kilometers per hour, or302.8 miles per hour.

On Thursday, the state-run Xinhua newsagency quoted a CNR official saying testing will be conducted on morethan 1,000 sensors on CRH380BL trains that monitor pressure, speed andtemperature. The report said that the sensors, produced by a foreigncompany it didn't name, may have caused stoppages on theBeijing-Shanghai route in July.

Separately on Thursday, ChinaRailway Group Ltd. said it would shelve plans for a 6.24 billion yuan($976 million) share placement after it failed to get regulatoryapproval. It cited 'changes in China's macroeconomic policies' --ratherthan safety concerns--as the reason it dropped the plan, which has beenin the works for more than a year.

Last week, another rail-carmaker, Hong Kong-listed CSR Corp., said a shareholder meeting toconsider plans for an 11 billion yuan fund-raising had been delayedindefinitely.

The Ministry of Railways--for years considered oneof China's blue-chip bond issuers--now faces increased analyst scrutinyof its debt load, already above two trillion yuan. Investors questionwhether it will retain its high-level status amid speculation thatChinese officials may split its role as both the regulator and operatorof one the world's largest railway systems.

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OnMonday, the ministry raised more money in the yuan money market. Butinstead of issuing long-term bonds to local banks, it obtained a moretemporary, 20 billion yuan cash infusion. The three-month bills carried arelatively high coupon rate of 5.55%.

Ministry officials have declined to comment.

Meanwhile, Chinese officials are calling for increased safety scrutiny.

TheState Council, the government's highest administrative organ, onWednesday suspended new project approvals, ordered safety checks on bothexisting lines and those under construction and ordered an'appropriate' reduction in top speeds. The council described the movesas temporary and said the government is still committed to high-speedrail.

The practical impact of the new checks is questionable.Spending on the railways was already set to ease slightly in 2011compared with 2010. Also, the speed reductions appear to have beenplanned months ago, and existing expansion efforts have been allowed tocontinue.

Beijing hasn't provided fresh details on the Wenzhoucrash following its initial determination that 'design flaws' insignaling systems failed after a lightning strike and left a fast-movingFuzhou-bound train to smash into the back of a slower-moving one. Twoweeks ago, Premier Wen Jiabao appeared at the crash site and saidauthorities were conducting a 'careful and serious investigation' thatwill be transparent and 'responsible to the people.'

ShengGuangzu, who was named head of the Railways Ministry in February after acorruption scandal toppled his predecessor, told Xinhua that high-speedlines would see speeds reduced by 50 kilometers per hour, depending onthe equipment and lines being used. That should cut the fastest trainsto 300 kilometers per hour from 350 kilometers an hour. Mr. Sheng made asimilar pledge in April to cut the top speed effective July 1. Hiscomment then followed concerns from Japanese train makers, who providedsome of the technology to China's line, that the higher speeds wereunsafe.

The State Council also revamped the team investigatingthe July 23 crash, dropping at least two people with ties to theRailways Ministry, but leaving Luo Lin, who heads China's StateAdministration of Work Safety, at the helm of the group of industry andacademic experts.

James T. Areddy