印度高鐵革命進展緩慢_風聞

【來源龍騰網】

正文原創翻譯：

From Mumbai’s packed commuter trains to overnight express mail trains akin to a city on wheels, and the astonishing Darjeeling & Himalayan “Toy Train,” railways are one of India’s most recognizable features.

從孟買擁擠的通勤列車到類似車輪上的城市的夜間特快專列，以及令人驚歎的大吉嶺和喜馬拉雅“玩具火車”，鐵路是印度最知名的特色之一。

原創翻譯：龍騰網 http://www.ltaaa.cn 轉載請註明出處

Without them, it’s unlikely the country would have developed into the economic superpower we see today.

沒有他們，這個國家就不可能發展成為我們今天看到的經濟超級大國。

原創翻譯：龍騰網 http://www.ltaaa.cn 轉載請註明出處

However, as the country evolves, its railways are under increasing pressure to move with the times, deliver faster journeys and more freight capacity to serve India’s expanding industries.

然而，隨着印度的發展，其鐵路面臨着越來越大的壓力，需要與時俱進，提供更快的速度和更大的貨運能力，以服務於印度不斷擴大的工業。

Traditional systems, some dating back to the days of the British Empire, might have served India well but they’re increasingly outdated, especially when viewed against the rapid progress being made by India’s neighbor and rival for regional supremacy -- China.

Serving every level of society and communities from the smallest rural village to some of the world’s most densely populated cities, the network faces an almost endless set of conflicting demands to keep the country moving.

傳統方式，有些可以追溯到大英帝國時代，可能對印度很有幫助，但它們越來越過時，尤其是在印度的鄰國和地區霸權競爭對手中國取得快速進步的情況下。

從最小的鄉村到世界上一些人口最稠密的城市，這個網絡服務於社會和社區的每一個層面，它面臨着一系列幾乎無窮無盡的相互矛盾的要求，以保持國家的運轉。

You can live like a king aboard the Maharajas’ Express, a hotel-on-wheels that’s considered one of India’s most luxurious trains.

您可以在 Maharajas’ Express 上像國王一樣生活，這是一家有輪子的酒店，被認為是印度最豪華的火車之一。

Made up of 126,510 kilometers (78,610 miles) of track in total, the Indian Railways (IR) network is the fourth largest in the world, operating 19,000 trains every day and serving almost 8,000 stations. More than 12,700 locomotives are available to haul 76,000 passenger coaches and almost three million freight wagons.

“Very few countries are defined by their railways, but India’s recent history is inseparable from the development of its enormous rail network,” says Christian Wolmar, railway historian and author of “Railways and The Raj.”

The first Indian railways were proposed as far back as 1832 -- just seven years after the opening of England’s Stockton & Darlington Railway, the world’s first public rail line.

印度鐵路網總長度為126510公里（78610英里），是世界第四大鐵路網，每天運營19000列列車，為近8000個車站提供服務。超過12700輛機車可以運送76000節客車和近300萬節貨車。

鐵路歷史學家、《Railways and The Raj》一書的作者Christian Wolmar説：“很少有國家是通過鐵路來定義的，但印度最近的歷史與龐大鐵路網的發展密不可分。”

早在1832年，世界上第一條公共鐵路線英格蘭的斯托克頓與達林頓鐵路開通僅僅7年後，印度就提出了第一條鐵路。

原創翻譯：龍騰網 http://www.ltaaa.cn 轉載請註明出處

India’s modern, semi high-speed Tejas Express train began operations in 2017 in New Delhi.

印度現代半高速光輝特快列車於 2017 年在新德里開始運營。

However, it wasn’t until April 1853 that the first section of the Great Indian Peninsular Railway opened to passengers, connecting Bombay (now Mumbai) and Thane. India’s first high-speed passenger railway will lix the same two cities when it opens later this decade as part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train line.

“Although India’s railways were largely developed by the British for military purposes, Indians took to them like almost nowhere else, creating almost insatiable demand and massive expansion in the second half of the 19th century,” says Wolmar.

然而，直到 1853 年 4 月，大印度半島鐵路的第一段才向乘客開放，連接孟買（現在的孟買）和塔那。作為孟買-艾哈邁達巴德子彈頭列車線的一部分，印度首條高速客運鐵路將於本世紀晚些時候開通，連接這兩個城市。

Wolmar説：“雖然印度的鐵路主要是由英國人出於軍事目的開發的，但印度人幾乎與其他任何地方一樣，在19世紀下半葉對鐵路產生了幾乎無法滿足的需求和大規模擴張。”。

原創翻譯：龍騰網 http://www.ltaaa.cn 轉載請註明出處

“Whether it was for business or family matters, pilgrimage or commuting, this demand made the railways profitable and they reached every corner of India much sooner than many other parts of the world.

“They may not have been built to benefit Indians but the railways delivered a fantastic side-effect that continues to power the country in the 21st century.”

“無論是商業還是家庭事務，朝聖還是通勤，這種需求都讓鐵路有利可圖，而且它們比世界其他許多地方更快到達印度的每一個角落。

“它們可能不是為了讓印度人受益而建造的，但鐵路帶來了奇妙的副作用，在 21 世紀繼續為這個國家提供動力。”

Low speeds, high ambitions

In 2019-20, IR carried more than 8 billion passengers and hauled 1.2 billion tonnes of freight. It is the country’s largest employer and with 1.4 million staff is one of the largest non-military organizations in the world.

In railway terms it is only outdone by the two million workers of China Railway.

低速度，高抱負

2019年至2020年，IR運載了80多億乘客，運輸了12億噸貨物。它是該國最大的僱主，擁有140萬工作人員，是世界上最大的非軍事組織之一。

在鐵路方面，僅次於中國鐵路的200萬工人。

A passenger looks out from the window of a long-distance train at a railway station in Mumbai on January 17, 2022.

2022年1月17日，孟買火車站，一名乘客從長途火車車窗向外張望。

But when compared to European railways or those of China, Japan or Korea, average speeds remain disappointingly low. A few special express trains can run at 160 kph (100 mph) or slightly more, but the national average for long-distance express is just 50 kph (31.4 mph), while ordinary passenger and commuter trains barely scrape over the 32 kph (20 mph) mark.

Freight trains average around 24 kph (15 mph) and generally have a maximum speed of just 55-75 kph. Congestion is expected to increase over the next 30 years unless more capacity is provided.

但與歐洲鐵路或中國、日本或韓國的鐵路相比，平均速度仍然低得令人失望。少數特快列車可以以 160 公里/小時（100 英里/小時）或稍高的速度運行，但全國長途快車平均時速僅為 50 公里/小時（31.4 英里/小時），而普通客運和通勤列車幾乎不超過 32 公里/小時（20 mph) 標記。

貨運列車的平均時速約為 24 公里（15 英里），通常最高時速僅為 55-75 公里。除非提供更多的運輸能力，否則在今後30年裏，預計交通擁堵將會增加。

Currently, seven trunk routes totaling 16% of the overall network carry 41% of all traffic. Around a quarter of IR’s network is operating at between 100% and 150% of nominal capacity, which can create huge knock-on effects across the country when disruption occurs.

India’s three-pronged solution? Create a new generation of high-speed passenger railways between major cities, construct thousands of miles of new high-capacity cargo railways known as dedicated freight corridors (DFCs) and electrify 100% of the existing network by 2024.

It’s a hugely ambitious strategy but the first DFCs are already in operation and electrification work is proceeding rapidly. Three more Dedicated Freight Corridors totaling 5,750 kilometers are planned to augment the initial pair of routes due for completion this year.

目前，七條主幹線總共佔整個網絡的16%，承載着41%的總流量。IR大約四分之一的網絡以100%到150%的標準流量運行，當發生中斷時，會在全國範圍內產生巨大的連鎖效應。

印度的三管齊下解決方案，在主要城市之間建設新一代高速客運鐵路，建設數千英里的新的高容量貨運鐵路，稱為專用貨運走廊（DFC），並在2024年前使現有網絡100%電氣化。

這是一項雄心勃勃的戰略，但首批DFC已經投入運行，電氣化工作正在迅速進行。另有計劃在今年完工的最初兩條線路的基礎上再增加三條總長5750公里的專用貨運走廊。

High speeds

But, like Japan and China before it, India views high-speed rail as the key to reducing journey times, increase capacity and accelerate economic activity.

An ambitious National Rail Plan, announced in 2021, envisages that all major cities in north, west and south India should be connected by high-speed rail. Cities between 300 kilometers and 700 kilometers apart with a population of at least one million are being prioritized.

India has enlisted the help of Japanese technology, engineers and finance to assist in the construction of its first line, a 508-kilometer lix between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in western India.

A further 12 routes could gain high-speed lixs over the coming decades if all proposals come to fruition.

高速

但是，與之前的日本和中國一樣，印度將高鐵視為減少出行時間、增加運力和加速經濟活動的關鍵。

在2021宣佈了一個雄心勃勃的國家鐵路計劃，設想所有的主要城市在北部，西部和南部印度應該通過高速鐵路連接。相距300公里至700公里、人口至少100萬的城市正在被優先考慮。

印度已爭取到日本技術、工程師和資金的幫助，以幫助建設其第一條線路，這條連接孟買和印度西部艾哈邁達巴德的線路全長508公里。

如果所有提議都能實現，未來幾十年內，還有12條線路可能會實現高速連接。