Themiclesian High Speed Rail: Difference between revisions
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===Designation of Adhesion=== | ===Designation of Adhesion=== | ||
Revision as of 05:37, 19 June 2020
Themiclesian High Speed Railway (abbreviated THSR; Shinasthana: 邦遽路, prong-gjah-ragh) is a high-speed inter-city railway network and operation in Themiclesia, consisting of three trunk lines and a number of branch lines that do not have high-speed service but are designed to connect its users to the closest HSR station. It exists and operates in parallel to Themiclesia's conventional railway, which has roughly 80 times THSR's mileage. Its total cost to date is estimated to be over Int'l$200 bn, though total costs have never been tallied. As of 2017, THSR's routes total over 2,500 km in length, the lastest addition made in 2017. Themiclesian railway legislation defines the term "high-speed railway" as any line capable of passenger service at or exceeding 121 MPH (194 km/h), the speed limit on the express main lines.
History
Precursors and proposals
High-speed service is a concept almost as old as railway itself in Themiclesia. In 1847, when the first railway line opened in the port city of P′a′ (浦), an express service was offered, though it was not distinguished by faster running, but by stopping at fewer stations, where other trains would call to await its passage. Express service was extended to all intercity railways, after their nationalization in 1891. Limited express services were added in 1902, stopping at one or two stations and using the fastest possible locomotives. In 1924, the Inland Main Line and Coastal Main Line were expanded as 4-track routes, with the inner tracks reserved for fast-moving passenger traffic. By 1959, demanding schedules required steam-hauled expresses trains to hit 110 MPH consistently on straight tracks, and the C30 series locomotives surpassed that requirement by a considerable margin, achieving 120 MPH in regular service on good days. Diesel locomotives were unable to deliver the same speed without serious technical issues, though their ability to haul long, heavy trains endeared themselves to freight service.
Further track improvements were ruled out by the NRC, since existing lines were already straightened as much as realistically possible with the heaviest rails (82 kg/m); complete re-routing would disrupt traffic and not recuperate costs with marginal gains. Steam technology also seemed to have plateaued after the PSW, with few promising leads towards improvement. Electricity and diesel were both previously considered, but diesel was disqualified, leaving electricity as the sole viable option for swifter passenger transport. Electrifying the IML would also disrupt the its railway traffic to an unacceptable extent, so electrification was abandoned as a concept in 1950, though branch lines, formerly serviced by tank engines, were electrified and saw the introduction of EMUs, or where not done, of DMUs.
Yet by the mid-1950s, the post-war boom led to growth in railway ridership, and the IML, already a 4-track route, was utilized beyond design capacity, creating a multitude of maintenance difficulties, which could not be easily addressed as trains still ran at night and even a brief interruption for maintenance work would be intolerable. Starting in 1955, various proposals were tabled before the Board of Governors of the NRC, and electric multiple units (EMU) were favoured as having the best potential to equal the performance of the best steam engines of the age. As it was absolutely essential to keep the IML running, the NRC decided to construct an entirely new route expressly designed for EMUs, with the hope that one day they would surpass steam technology as far as speed was concerned; this was no mean task, as Themiclesia's fastest EMU, the K6, used for lengthy branch line express services, could only achieve 80 MPH in 1955. The project, billed the "Electrified Main Line" (電化本線, linh-ngw′raih-pen′-stsjênh) was publicly announced in 1957.
Construction
Land acquisition began the same year as the project was legitimized by the NRC; with a purely inter-city traffic to service, urban areas were avoided both to create a straighter line between termini and to suppress costs; however, it was elected to integrate the THSR stations with existing railways stations to encourage ridership. A rigorous bidding war ensued between major contractors, which slightly delayed the contracting process but resulted in marginally lower prices. The line consisted of land sections, elevated sections, and tunnels underground and through mountain ranges. Construction began in 1958 and would last more than four years, before the last piece of track was laid in late 1963, totalling 552 miles.
Since the line only passed through three major cities, and the eventual route was level enough, most of the tracks were laid on land and not elevated, brining its own set of complications (such as provision of fences, level crossings, and dealing with soft terrain). Sections in the cities were mostly laid underground, with some parts as deep as 30 meters underground, to minimize disturbance to buildings on the surface and their foundations. Integration was carefully planned in cities with large train stations. In Kien-k'ang, for example, HSR platforms were located eight stories under the station, as several railways already converged there. Engineering challenges in integrating new facilities with existing ones, frequently in cramped premises, were perceived by contemporaries to be achievements similar to completing the longest bridges over rivers.
Testing
Testing commenced in December, 1963 on schedule and continued until the end of 1966. The initial phase saw unmanned trains (except engineer) operating at very low speeds (3 MPH), with more trains added later to test its signal blocking system, which was done eletronically with the aid of a computer system. Speed and intensity were stepped up until they reached 105% of desired operational speed (127 MPH) through 1964; then, the process was repeated with live passengers. The NRC allocated additional temporal allowances of several months, during which the public were invited to ride the trains for a reduced fare at operational speeds, though these services were subject to occasional interruptions, to uncover and resolve the last of operational problems after technical ones had been resolved.
Amongst the issues that surfaced during testing, the media covered with at great length the inability of the pantograph to make consistent contact with the overhead power lines; this issue in fact was resolved rather quickly as the tension of the power lines and pantograph were attuned optimal levels. Such issues were generally quickly resolved as a solution to one instance could be applied generally. Issues in track quality also received much coverage, and many segments had to be re-laid in order to reduce misalignment and temperature issues that were not considered in sufficient detail when the railway was designed. Eventually, the engineering team resorted to using track segments of slightly differnt lengths to combat warping. NCR anticipated testing to last one year at most, yet three fully lapsed before the line passed all safety tests that the government imposed. The NCR's attitude towards safety, sometimes at fiscal expense and that of public criticism, continues in its later enterprises; particularly, the NCR would later require almost all lines to be tested continuously for one full year, no matter the length, so that they could experience all seasonal climatic conditions and thereby expose any shortcomings in design.
The most critical failure came in the winter of 1963, when it was discovered that erratic signalling was caused by insufficient insulation of wires carrying digital information to and from the central computer; moisture crystalized in the frigid Themiclesian snow and breached the plastic insulators, causing shorts on what experts estimated to be over 65,000 locations. The NRC announced that it will essentially re-do the entire digital infrastructure with this requirement in mind; the lines were then used for higher-speed motor tests without signalling, with only one train travelling on the entire track at any given time. In mid-1964, after a 6-month hiatus on signalling testing, a new system was installed and survived the winter of 1964, which was when the line was released for live passenger testing.
Though initial tests were embattled with issues, fortunately none were hurt in its process. When the Chairman of the NRC Board of Governors was confronted with the comment that the public were eager to use the service still in testing, while the NRC would not open it pending a seemingly unending series of tests, he replied, "We know that the public are eagre, but we are more eager still." In Jan. 1967, after four whole years of testing, the THSR was opened by the Prime Minister, after an issue-free year in live passenger and operational testing.
Later expansion and improvements
Expansion of the THSR network was in construction before the first line had been completed, and the Traverse Main Line (TML) was equally over-burdened with passenger traffic as the IML. Naturally, it was selected as the second trunk line to be relieved by an HSR service. Construction began in 1964 and ended in 1968, with testing to early 1971. With the experience of the first line, construction sped up considerably, though land acquisition and route planning proved more challenging on the narrow isthmus between Kien-k'ang and Ghwap-bow'; nevertheless, the very flat landscape made for a relatively straightforward construction; special attention was paid to protecting electrical equipment from saline erotion due to their proximity to the seas. A third line linked the coastal and manufacturing cities of Tuanning and Kwang'-tu, inaugurated in 1980. This line was parallel to the Coastal Main Line in several parts, making it slightly less direct than others, due to the more densely-settled demographic of the coastal area. It also intersected the line; a transfer station was planned at the intersection. Meanwhile, the terminus in Glak-lang was moved to Drjang-'an in 1975, after the line had been extended there.
In terms of speed, advances in breaking and motor technology made higher speeds possible and also controllable; more sophisticated aerodynamics held a crucial role in ensuring operational stability. Ballastless tracks were introduced in the 1980s to the end that the maximum speed on the Drjang-'an to Kwang'-tu Line increased by 25 MPH, though this was not extended to the second and third lines until the 90s. Since then, THSR operated at 190 MPH across the entire network.
Railway network
Aside from the principal expectation of relieving the over-burdened IML, the niche of the THSR was competition against domestic air travel; the lack of road infrastructure between airports and the cities they serviced (generally, some distance apart) encumbered air travel. The NCR hoped to replace air travel with slower but more convenient railway travel, disembarking from which the traveller was already at the centre of town. This is reflected in both route layout and station locale. Few cities outside the most populous and commercially-important ones were serviced. The opportunity to develop a settlement by means of placing a station in its vicinity was evidently not deeply considered.
In later development, railway lines were planned to relieve the lines operating closest to or over capacity, such a policy is to ensure that the new THSR line will have a nigh-guaranteed source of ridership.
Statistics of the networks are as follows:—
| Line | Route | Work Started |
Operational | Total mileage |
Max. speed (MPH) |
Stations | Avg. station distance (mi) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IML HSR | Rak to Kwang′-tju | 1959 | 1967 | 747.9 | 210 | 25 | 29.9 | |
| TML HSR | Kien-k'ang to P′a′ | 1965 | 1971 | 728.6 | 200 | 21 | 34.7 | |
| IML Extension | ′Jong to Rak | 1971 | 1975 | 193.5 | 200 | 5 | 38.5 | |
| CML HSR | Tonning to Kwang′-tju | 1974 | 1980 | 304.4 | 200 | 17 | 17.9 | |
| CML Extension | Tonning to Sngrak-ljang | 1977 | 1982 | 813.3 | 200 | 29 | 29 | |
| ′An HSR | Rak to ′An | 1992 | 1999 | 1,352.8 | 200 | 15 | 90.2 |
Depots
- Rak Depot
- Kien-k'ang Depot
- ′Jong Depot
- Kwang′-tju Depot
- P′a′ Depot
- ′An Depot
- Sngrak-ljang Depot
Testing facilities
Operation
Scheduling
THSR operates both daytime and nighttime services, with at least one departure in each direction per half-hour during daytime, and more frequently during peak hours and holidays. Trains depart in both directions from the termini between 5:00 each morning and 11:00 at night; the time outside of which is dedicated to maintenance tasks, such as track grinding, and construction.
Currently, THSR trains operate according to two speeds, dubbed the Electric Express (E. Exp.) and the Electric Limited Express (E. Ltd.) There is no difference between the rolling stock or maximum operation speeds assigned to these two categories; they differ only in the number of calls along their routes—E. Exp. at every station, while E. Ltd. only at major cities, of which there are four or five on each route. These two categories were instituted in 1982, after dozens of new stations were constructed on the lines, hampering the total travel time in an age when all services stopped at all stations. Passengers could also purchase through tickets from origin to the next stop serviced by an E. Ltd. train and vice versa. The ratio between E. Exp. and E. Ltd. services are roughly 2.5:1; that way, it was hoped, more communities could be served, while competitiveness against air travel would be retained for those who needed it.
Classes of service
THSR offers currently offers two classes of service, Standard and Business Classes. A First Class existed until 1971. Unlike the conventional railway, which possesses carriages split between classes, the THSR's rolling stock are all single-class carriages. The First/Second/Third Class nomenclature was abolished in 1976, as part of fare restructuring, and replaced with the modern Standard/Business Class.
Standard Class
This is the usual class of service on the THSR, accounting for about 85% of train sets. Seats are arranged 2 + 2 abreast, in 18 rows per car. The pitch is 1050 mm, comparable to the Second Class service on the conventional railway. The seats are cushioned and include a small pillow, cup holder, overhead stowage room, foot rest, and adjustable reclining seats. Launched in 1967 as Third Class, it was the most-patronized class on THSR in both design and reality.
Originally, the HSR third class resembled the same on conventional rail, with seats in a 3 + 2 configuration. In the late 50s and 60s, the NRC experimented with improving legroom in third-class services, whose seats had as little pitch as 800 mm. Though the S/70 rolling stock, entering conventional service in 1963, provided 950 mm of pitch in third-class sections, the K10 EMU was designed with only 850 mm of pitch. This apparent regression of improvements was severely criticized from the day THSR entered revenue service and even caused some MPs to consider reviewing NRC's monopoly on intercity railways. The K10's seat pitch was inherited the K11, which debuted in 1969 and had mostly mechanical improvements over the K10.
The K12 EMU was launched in 1976 with an increased seat pitch of 920 mm, and in each successive iteration, third-class seating has seen some degree of expansion. Not all expansions result in improved legroom, since some pitch is consumed by improved seats and padding as well.
Business Class
This is the higher level of service on THSR. It is aimed towards travellers on commercial business and tourists who desire more spacious accommodation. Currently, Business Class cars account for around 1/5 of all rolling stock. When onboard Wi-Fi was introduced in 2006, Business Class was first to enjoy its use, spreading to Standard in 2008. Seating is arranged in a 1 + 2 pattern per row, with around 16 rows with 1250 mm of pitch. Reclinable seats are lined with leather. Starting from the K16 series, Business Class seats also adopted the "shell" type structure, providing greater privacy and more amenities, such as a personal reading light, headphones, and electrical outlet.
Business Class was original named Second Class when the HSR opened in 1967 and featured amenities comparable to second-class carriages on contemporary rolling stock. On K10 and K11 EMUs, seats in this class were arranged a 2 + 2 configuration in 16 rows, with 1200 mm of pitch. In the K13 EMU of 1983, the NRC overhauled Third Class from a 3 + 2 to 2 + 2 seat configuration, with an improved pitch of 1040 mm. Thus, Second Class differed from it only with more space and the presence of an attendant, who could be summoned to bring drinks and reading material. The NRC felt pressed better to distinguish it, leading to their re-introducing certain first-class features to the recently-renamed Business Class, like reading lamps, spring seats, telephone access, and red carpets.
First Class (deprecated)
These cars had two columns of seats in ten rows. Seats were plush swiveling armchairs with 1650 mm of pitch, lined with velvet. First Class service included stewards in each car, who would bring comestibles from the kitchen car, as there was no first-class dining facility; premium food and beverages were available at no charge. Menus from the age show that cucumber sandwiches, foie gras, smoked salmon paté, camembert, imported cold cuts, campaign, and cognac were favourites amongst frequent passengers. There was also an onboard telephone and air conditioning provided, deemed extravagant at the time. There was a dress code: men were expected to be in suits, and women in dresses.
Themiclesian law specified fares for three classes of service, until 1970. By the 60s, it was clear that First Class was unprofitable, since paying passengers were more likely to travel by air than rail, yet it was not known that the rule would be abolished soon after THSR opened. First Class was thus built into a small number of K10 and K11 EMU sets, purely to satisfy the law mandating three classes of service in both directions on any route and day. As expected, few patronized it, and the those that did were politicians and senior civil servants, who were entitled to its use ex officio. The class was abolished in the HSR in 1971, but the existing seats on K10 and K11 EMUs were rebranded as "observation seats", tariffed as second class but with an additional fee. They disappeared between 1990 and 1993, when those EMUs were withdrawn.
Proposed sleepers
When the TML HSR was still under construction, the NRC actively considered a nighttime sleeper service between Rak and P′a′, via Kien-k'ang. The rationale was that daytime service between them would take eight hours at the speeds then possible, consuming most day hours and thereby adding another night at a hotel in the destination city. A sleeper service would solve this problem by leaving at night and arriving by the next morning. Two K10 trainsets were constructed as sleeper trains, and as legally required, First, Second, and Third Class sleepers were built into the train. First Class sleepers were individual suites, divided into a sleeping area, sitting area, and ensuite. The bed accommodated a single traveller and faced a closet, while there were two chairs in the sitting area, one of which had a collapsible writin desk. A First Class carriage comprised six such units. Second Class sleepers came in three varieties, personal, duplex, or quadruplex compartment. Third Class sleepers came in quadruplex compartments or open berths.
Critics attacked this idea almost from the moment it was announced. They state that such a service would be indistinguishable from conventional services, on which the same journey could be covered in thirteen hours, meaning that the traveller would only have to board slightly earlier on the travelling day to arrive on the same time on the following morning. The NRC eventually did implement this idea during the testing phase of the TML HSR, but amidst heavily negative response, noting, amongst other issues, loud noises that prevented sleeping, the NRC never put the sleeper trains into revenue service. The two sleeper trains were quietly converted into normal trains in 1972, the furniture re-used on conventional trains.
Fares
Fares for the THSR are calculated on the basis of mileage and several surcharges. Each mile costs the traveller $0.21, last adjusted in 2002. Each ticket also sells with a ticketing charge of $4, seat assignment charge of $5, and tea duty of $1; the seat assignment charge is omitted if the traveller chooses to forego an assigned seat. The mileage is inflated by a factor of 35% if the seat is assigned in a Business Class carriage or deflated by a factor of 20% if assigned seating is eschewed. A compounding upcharge of 20% on mileage is applied if the traveller chooses an express service.
Formerly, each class of service had its own rate. By the Railway Act of 1892, amended in 1969, Third Class rate was fixed at $0.06 per mile, Second Class rate was twice Third Class, and First Class twice Second Class; this made First Class unaffordable, especially when combined with the Express Surcharge, Limited Surcharge (also fixed by the same law), and relevant taxes. In reality, few First Class passengers were paying customers; most were entitled to it free of charge. In 1970, distinct mileage rates were abolished.
Ticketing
Though electronic ticket sales terminals have replaced the labourious process of centrally checking each segment in each route for availability, the ticketing procedure remains largely the same as it was done by hand and voice decades ago, save only by a computer.
Tickets are printed at the Central Ticketing Press in Kien-k'ang, where Edmondson tickets, inscribed with almost every route, varied for class, speed, concessions, and return voucher are produced. Individual stations report the amount of tickets they require to the CTP, which prints and delivers them to it. Every copy of each permutation is given a 4-digit serial number on its reverse.
When a customer purchases a ticket, the ticketing clerk will inquire into the availability of a seat on the desired route on a certain day, and if a positive figure is returned, the computer permits the customer to choose his preferred seat; the clerk produces the correct ticket and enters the ticket's serial number and the customer's name on a terminal, completing the sale. It is possible to purchase a through ticket that combines a HSR and conventional ticket into a singular physical certificate, though such tickets are marketly rarer and may require hand-writing in order to be issued; however, the computer system is capable of making all inquiries, since it is shared with the NRC.
As of 2020, tickets may be reserved up to 180 days in advance of travel, for which he will receive a reservation number. This process can be done in person, by mail, telephone, facsimile, or the Internet. Up to 30 days before the date of travel, the traveller can pay for the reserved seat upon presentation of his reservation number and name. If the traveller does not complete payment before the day of travel, the reservation is automatically cancelled. A customer may also cancel his ticket by any of the means above on any day before the day of travel for a full refund, less an administrative fine.
Rolling stock
All THSR rolling stock for passenger service are Electric Multiple Units (EMU), with several cars coupled together into operational sets. The early test models of THSR trains were modified versions of the express EMUs used on long branch lines, replacing steam locomotives. While they had been earlier considered for main line service, the idea was shelved between 1950 and 1958. Nevertheless, NRC continued to refine EMU technology, and by 1961 they resembled the first operational EMU set, the K10. Its eventual top speed was 135 MPH, 10 MPH faser than the C30 locomotive. While not impressive at first glance, the K10 was much cheaper and easier to service and more available than the C30, which was around 25%.
As of the end of 2017, all rolling stock have been domestically manufactured by three suppliers, Krên Works, Ghwra-Trjung Industries, and Krong-ljang Transport Company; the first is the privatized successor to the locomotive works that was part of the NRC before 1988. Both manufacturing and assembly are handled by these enterprises, and deliveries are taken in completed and tested sets. Most of the technology required to manufacture HSR EMUs were developed internally by the NRC, and the suppliers are permitted only to manufacture according to NRC's specifications.
All train sets on the THSR consist of cab cars, power cars, motor cars, and trailer cars. Cab cars are unpowered and always positioned at the two ends of the train; cockpits there permit train to be controlled from both ends. Power cars have pantographs extending from above their roofs to receive power from the electric cables suspended overhead, which conduct 22kV electricity. Motor cars are distributed throughout the train to ensure good adhesion and cohesion. Trailer cars are unpowered.
| Model | K10 | K11 | K12 | K13 | K14 | K15 | K16 | K17 | K18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduced | 1964 | 1969 | 1975 | 1983 | 1990 | 1997 | 2004 | 2005 | 2014 |
| Withdrawn | 1993 | 1993 | 2007 | 2010 | — | — | — | — | — |
| # produced (sets) | 20 | 25 | 40 | 70 | 30 | 120 | 40 | 40 | 35 |
| # in service (sets) | — | — | — | — | 15 | 104 | 39 | 40 | 35 |
| Design speed (MPH) | 135 | 145 | 160 | 190 | 190 | 200 | 200 | 225 | 245 |
| Consist | (1) T/2S/R/F/R/7T (2) T/S/R/5T |
(1) 2T/2S/R/F/R/6T (2) 2T/S/R/4T |
3T/R/3S/R/5T | 5T/R/2S/R/5T | 3T/S/R/2T/R/S/3T | 2T/S/R/3T/S/R/3T | 2T/S/R/3T/S/R/3T | 2T/S/R/3T/S/R/3T | 2T/S/R/3T/S/R/3T |
| Capacity | 676 | 668 | 716 | 816 | 816 | 816 | 816 | 816 | 816 |
| Nickname | Puffin | Grouse | Penguin | Dove | Golden Pheasant | Owl | Swallow | Eagle | Albatross |
| Notes | Tilting | Tilting | Exported | Tilting |
Designation
Since THSR is not administrative independent from the conventional railway, its rolling stock designation is inherited from its brethren.
| Legend | Meaning |
|---|---|
| EFP | First Class Passenger Car |
| ESP | Second/Business Class Passenger Car |
| ETP | Third/Standard Class Passenger Car |
| EFSR | First/Second Class Restaurant Car |
| ESTR | Second/Third Class Restaurant Car |
| ER | Restaurant Car |
| C | Cab |
| P | Power (pantograph) |
| M | Motor |
| T | Trailer |
Inidividual designations are combined in manner following:
- ESP(T) 17 001 means the car #1 of series K17, and it is a Business Class Passenger Car on an EMU and a trailer (non-powered) car.
Designation of Adhesion
Due to the varying characteristics and tolerances in different segments of THSR's lines in addition to those of different EMU sets, it is often necessary to decide which trains may run on which lines, how quickly they may run, and how they should be composed. The degree of variation is far greater on the conventional railway than it is on THSR, and the latter is being actively streamlined to make THSR's rolling stock operable on as many lines as possible; yet THSR is still a 50-year-old railway, and standards have changed from its inception. Most of the tracks laid in the 1960s were only designed to accommodate trains running at speeds up to 175 MPH, though that has since been surpassed by later trains. Alterations on sections to permit switfter travel, where it is practical, have been preferred; on sections where it is not, tilting trains were introduced in order to negotiate the tighter turns with greater nimbleness and less reduction in speed.
- EA—Limited to 190 MPH, applicable on K13–16 trains running on the Drjang-'an to Kwang'-tu and Kien-k'ang to Ghwap-bow' Lines.
- ΔEA—Limited to 190 MPH, applicable on K15 and K16 trains running on the Tuan-ning to Kwang'-tu Line.
- EB—Limited to 175 MPH, applicable on K13 and K14 trains running on the Tuan-ning to Kwang'-tu Line.
- EC—Limited to 120 MPH, applicable on all trains running non-passenger services at night.
Export
Menghean HSR
Relations in railway operation between Menghe and Themiclesia began in the 1990s after the former underwent the Decembrist Revolution and adopted an open economy. The Menghean railway was initially interested in only conventional railway technology to improve existing lines, which Themiclesia supplied; the DE19 and DE20 diesel-electric locomotives, used in Themiclesia for general passenger services on non-electrified lines, were exported in Menghe in the mid-90s after both governments made amiable gestures towards each other, often relying on similarity in language and culture as a pretext to ameliorate what was previously regarded by international analysts as a hostile dynamic.
Expressing interest, the Menghean Ministry of Transport dispatched observers in 1997 to the THSR, that they may investigate the feasibility of a similar system in Menghe; this is one of several co-operative relationships between the NCR and the Menghean railway. An NCR panel also locally assess Menghe's need for a HSR and to liaise between the Ministry and its Themiclesian counterpart. In 1999, the Department of Transport of West Chŏnro Province led the nation by announcing a bid for the construction for a HSR line in its territories. The NCR held high hopes to tender this project, hoping it may lead to invitations to other provinces for similar projects; however, the 1999 Menghean financial crisis compelled the NCR to re-assess its priorities, and eventually it did not tender in the wake of massive amounts of lost equity in foreign assets in Menghe.
Nevertheless, discussions continued throughout the decade, and, the fiscal stability restored in Menghe, the NRC decided to bid for a project that was conducted under the support of the Menghen central government (as opposed to a regional one), culminating in a contract in 2002 for the construction of a complete HSR system, related infrastructure, first batch of rolling stock, and eventual technological transfer. A special act of parliament, required to export HSR technology, passed in 2001 without much controversy, in anticipation of revneue and international renown. While the NRC requested caution, the Menghean government proclaimed an ambitous schedule including full operation in 2006, arousing some doubt within the Themiclesian railway scene as to whether the system could be completed safely within four years. Some detractors claimed that the NRC did not finish testing the HSR in four years during the 60s, let alone a fresh railway.
The Themiclesian staff were amazed by the Menghean government's dedication to the enterprise; land acquisition required astonishingly little time. Equally surprised by the efficiency of the Menghean construction contractors, track-laying was complete by the close of 2005, for which NRC had anticipated an optimistic date of 2007. Construction aside, completely testing the railway within a single year had not been done in Themiclesia; under mounting government pressure, the Themiclesian engineers expedited this process by testing sections of track at low speeds with older rolling stock as they were finished, so when the whole network was complete, higher-speed testing could be done immediately. At the same time, Menghean railway staff were sent to Themiclesia to become acquainted, at close distance, with the modus operandi of the Themiclesian HSR, which provided the soft infrastructure of the Menghean HSR; not only with the technical, but also the operational and commercial aspects of the system.
In line with the government's promise of an operational railway by the end of 2006, testing was done around the clock during the final months that year. Menghean dignitaries opened the railway in December. Themiclesian administrative and technical staff remained on site for guidance until 2010, when the Menghean railway fully assumed the responsibilities of its operation and independent expansion.
Disputes
- When successful tests of the K17 EMU in Menghe yielded speeds of 220 MPH, a conspiracy theory began circulating in Themiclesia that the fastest trains had been exported to Menghe, while those that could only run at 190 MPH were retained in Themiclesia. This rumour first appeared on 5chan.com in 2005. Initially, the NRC refused to respond officially to such an "absurd" suggestion and intended to allow the rumour to fade away naturally. Later on, experts began to comment on this story, saying that the theory is self-defeating because the NRC would not have developed a new series of EMU just to run in Menghe, as doing so would have more than eaten away any profits that the NRC could expect from the installation of HSR in Menghe. Moreover, undisclosed sources in the NRC also denied the rumour's credibility, stating that the 20 EMU sets sold to Menghe were selected long after they had been completed, making it impossible for a design difference to have existed between the domestic and export versions. Nevertheless, the rumour did not die away as easily as the NRC hoped, and in June 2009 a large number of witnesses were invited onboard a domestic K17 EMU to see that it was capable of running at 220 MPH, only that it may not do so in regular service due to speed limits.
- In the unfolding stages of the Menghean HSR disaster in 2015, some commentators suggested that the NRC should accept partial responsibility for the fatal accident. The NRC, expressing profound regret and condolences for the families of the victims, declined to comment on matters of responsibility. Two months later, the NRC reported to the public that the route in question was designed and built by the Menghean High Speed Rail Corporation without any Themiclesian involvement, and that it could not accept responsibility for its occurrence. Nevertheless, the NRC did offer technical assistance to the Menghean authorities for whenever they may require it.