Bill Belew has raised 2 bi-cultural kids, now 34 and 30. And he and his wife are now parenting a 3rd, Mia, who is 8.
China’s electric train network
China’s electric train network (the big kind, not the toy kind) grew to 24,000 kilometers (abt 15,000 miles) after the Zhejiang-Jiangxi railway opened up this month.
That addition made China number 2 in the world in terms of the length of its network. Russia is number one. The Trans-Siberian Railway is almost half as long as China’s whole network.
Electric powered railways are more efficient and cleaner than coal or oil powered railway cars.
Additionally, it takes far less time now for Chinese to travel from the east coast to remote mid-western areas.
The Ministry of Railways reports that by the end of October, China will have 49 electric railways – 27% of the total and 43% of rail freight.
The MOR predicts the length of China’s electric railways will more than double by 2020.
The one major problem I found when traveling on Chinese railways was getting a ticket. Even I got in line and up to the counter, I still had to deal with people cutting in, thinking their travel was more important than mine.
I reckon no matter how much China railways grow, the population is likely to more than keeping up, keeping those trains as crowded as always and the fight alive at the counter.
What do you think?
