Watch this video ad-free on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/rmtransit-the-massproduced-metros-of-china Ever wondered why China was able to build so many metro systems in such a short period of time over the past couple of decades, but your country can't? Well, China has a secret weapon: standardization. As always, leave a comment down below if you have ideas for our future videos. Like, subscribe, and hit the bell icon so you won't miss my next video! =PATREON= If you'd like to help me make more videos & get exclusive behind the scenes access and early video releases, consider supporting my Patreon! Every dollar goes towards helping my channel grow & reach more people. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rmtransit =ATTRIBUTION= Epidemic Sound (Affiliate Link): https://share.epidemicsound.com/nptgfg Nexa from Fontfabric.com Map Data © OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright =COMMUNITY DISCORD SERVER= Discord Server: https://discord.gg/jfz3fqT (Not officially affiliated with the channel) =MY SOCIAL MEDIA= Twitter: https://twitter.com/RM_Transit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rm_transit/ Website: https://rmtransit.com Substack: https://reecemartin.substack.com =ABOUT ME= Ever wondered why your city's transit just doesn't seem quite up to snuff? RMTransit is here to answer that, and help you open your eyes to all of the different public transportation systems around the world! Reece (the RM in RMTransit) is an urbanist and public transport critic residing in Toronto, Canada, with the goal of helping the world become more connected through metros, trams, buses, high-speed trains, and all other transport modes.
  • AJ Sadauskas@aus.social
    2·
    2 years ago

    @AgreeableLandscape I certainly think there’s a lot to be learnt from China’s nationwide standardisation of its metros.

    And as @RM_Transit points out, it has allowed them to rapidly rollout new metro systems across the country.

    Compare that to Australia, where each state has its own set of rail gauge, electrification, and signalling standards.

    I also wonder whether, for countries that do have legacy rail systems, the costs of retrofitting nationwide standards might outweigh the benefits?

    Still, definitely worth considering.

    And here’s the link to Reece’s video for anyone who’s following along on Mastodon: https://youtu.be/ehTy-qQVZhM

    #train #trains #metro #china #politics #transport #transit #UrbanPlanning #urbanism #engineering

      • AJ Sadauskas@aus.social
        1·
        2 years ago

        @largess @AgreeableLandscape @RM_Transit There are opportunities even right now to move closer towards a national standard for rail that are being squandered.

        I mean, right now Qld is building Cross River Rail. Why not build that with dual gauge?

        Victoria is removing level crossings, and SA recently electrified the Gawler line. Why not lay dual-gauge track as part of those projects?

        Victoria is building the SRL, and NSW is building the Metro lines that Chris Minns hasn’t cancelled yet. They’re largely or entirely separate from the rest of the rail network. Why not build them to a new national standard, using standard gauge?

    • pingveno@lemmy.mlEnglish
      2·
      2 years ago

      I also wonder whether, for countries that do have legacy rail systems, the costs of retrofitting nationwide standards might outweigh the benefits?

      I was thinking about this as well. China started their first rapid transit systems a full century after Europe and the US. Maybe it would work to first introduce a broad set of standardized options at the expense of the efficiency of providing fewer options. From there, consolidate offerings over time as local systems and nations are adapted. Forward compatibility should be planned in so that functioning older equipment isn’t unduly discarded.

    • TomMelaide@aus.social
      1·
      2 years ago

      @ajsadauskas @AgreeableLandscape @RM_Transit What China has done is incredibly interesting but largely only works because they don’t currently have said rail networks. In Australia we do, everywhere, and they are generally historic corridors with the greatest density. In some places in Australia i.e. Sydney where the Bankstown conversion is occurring it shows it can be done, but is is expensive and time consuming for a plan to run them at frequencies that are easily achieved by suburban railways.

        • AJ Sadauskas@aus.social
          1·
          2 years ago

          @L0v3l4ce @AussieWirraway @AgreeableLandscape @RM_Transit I guess my big question is what sorts of cost benefits would flow from standardisation?

          Imagine Australia used a common standard nationwide for gauge, voltage, signalling system, etc.

          Presumably, that would make it cheaper and more efficient to roll out new railways.

          There would probably also be cost savings when ordering new rolling stock if all Australian states used trains built to a common set of standards. (Think a joint order for new suburban trains for Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.)

          Certainly, there would be benefits in modernising Australia’s train systems in terms of reliability, service frequency, and amenities.

          Over the span of, say, 30 or 40 years, would those cost savings from greater efficiency outweigh the costs of standardisation and modernisation?