中国反思高铁建设计划 Beijing reviews high-speed rail plans
China’s Ministry of Railways is conducting a review of the country’s ambitious high-speed rail proposals after an influential state-backed think-tank raised questions over the affordability and practicality of the planned network. | 中国铁道部正对中国雄心勃勃的高铁计划做出重新评估。此前，一家颇具影响力的、有政府背景的智囊机构质疑，中国是否有能力负担计划中的高铁网络，以及该网络是否实用。 |
In a report submitted by the China Academy of Science to the State Council, experts urged a rethink of the emphasis on massive infrastructure investment, particularly the bullet train expansion programme. | 在中国科学院(CAS)提交给国务院的一份报告中，专家们敦促相关方面进行反思：是否应把重点放在大规模基础设施投资、尤其是放在高铁扩张计划上。 |
One of the concerns expressed in the report is the unsustainable level of debt that has propelled rail building projects across the country, particularly since the government launched its stimulus package in late 2008 to combat the effects of the global economic crisis. | 这份报告表达的一项担忧是，推动铁路建设的举债规模已达到不可持续的水平，特别是自2008年底政府出台刺激计划对抗全球经济危机影响以来。 |
The report found that the acceleration of infrastructure investment triggered by the stimulus package has caused a lack of integration between transport services across the country, leaving highways, subways, train stations and airports not properly connected. | 报告发现，刺激计划导致的基础设施投资加速，已造成全国各交通服务之间缺乏系统整合，高速公路、地铁、火车站和机场之间缺乏适当的连接。 |
Wen Jiabao, China’s premier, has seen the report and asked for further discussion of current high-speed rail plans, say people familiar with the matter. | 知情人士称，中国总理温家宝已看到这份报告，并要求相关方面对目前的高铁计划做出进一步讨论。 |
The review – and possible scaling back – come as provincial officials appear to have caught bullet train fever. | 在相关方面重新评估、并可能缩减高铁计划规模之际，中国各省官员似乎患上了高铁“狂热症”。 |
Local governments have between them asked for Beijing’s permission to expand the high-speed rail network by as much as 80 per cent above the already ambitious approved targets, according to analysts and Chinese media reports. | 根据分析人士和中国媒体报道所称，各地方政府要求中央政府允许它们在已获批的宏伟目标基础上，把高铁网络建设规模总共再扩大至多80%。 |
Under the current plan, the central government has authorised a high-speed network that will reach 16,000km by 2020 and service more than 90 per cent of the population. | 根据目前的计划，中央政府批准到2020年时建成1.6万公里高铁网络，为90%以上的中国人口提供服务。 |
But as part of the stimulus the government more than doubled its planned investments in railways for 2009 and 2010 and now expects to have 13,000km of high-speed track by the end of 2012. That will give China more high-speed rail capacity – trains that travel at more than 250km an hour – than the rest of the world put together, according to data from the International Union of Railways and Nomura, the investment bank. | 然而，作为刺激计划的一部分，中央政府把2009年和2010年的铁路建设计划投资增 加了一倍以上；这样，到2012年底，中国便有望铺设1.3万公里高铁轨道。国际铁路联盟(IUR)和投资银行野村证券(Nomura)的数据显示，这将 让中国的高铁运输能力超过世界其余地区的总和。高铁是指时速超过250公里的列车。 |
But with dozens of new lines scheduled to open in the next two years, the high-speed connections already in operation are being carefully scrutinised. | 但是，考虑到将有数十条计划中的新建高铁线路在未来两年启用，目前已投入运营的高铁线路正受到密切审视。 |
Critics point out that bullet train services, such as the 1,000km Wuhan to Guangzhou connection that opened this year, are operating at less than half their full capacity and will never make enough money to repay the huge bank loans used to build them. | 批评人士指出，高铁线路——例如今年启用的1000公里长的武广高铁——目前的上座率还不到一半，它们永远不可能创造足够多的利润来偿清银行提供的巨额建设贷款。 |
| 译者/汪洋 |
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