Getting back on track

Were it not for the recent spate of problems, we would have been acclaiming the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed line as the railway authorities expected.

On Sunday, 10 days after the high-profile launch of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail line, a dozen trains on route to Shanghai were halted for about 90 minutes following a power failure caused by thunderstorms and heavy winds in Shandong province.

On Tuesday, a power failure in Anhui province caused the delay of several trains, and this was followed on Wednesday by the breakdown of a train heading from Shanghai to Beijing, which delayed passengers by more than two hours.