China Going Up and Coming Down

SoCalChris writes "The BBC writes that China has just completed the world's highest railroad, climbing to 16,640 feet (5,072 meters) above sea level. The cars will be sealed to help passengers cope with the pressure changes from the altitude. The line is expected to begin carrying passengers next year." This news comes at the same time that their Chinese taikonauts return from their spaceflight after just 115 hours in orbit.

First Prime Factorization Post

[2*2*3*75011]

SoCalChris writes "The BBC writes that China has just completed the world's highest railroad, climbing to 2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*5*13 feet (2*2*2*2*317 meters) above sea level. The cars will be sealed to help passengers cope with the pressure changes from the altitude. The line is expected to begin carrying passengers next year." This news comes at the same time that their Chinese taikonauts return from their spaceflight after just 5*23 hours in orbit.

YYYYEEEEAAAARRRGHH!!!

[soapdog]

World biggest roller coaster?

Re:Big Week for China

[Anonymous Coward]

Your slashdot geek membership is revoked.

You missed the link to the chicks http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-10/15/conte nt_3618725.htm [xinhuanet.com] at the bottom of the page.

Boy am I pissed

[the eric conspiracy]

I actually rode on the Central Rail Line in Peru which was the former highest. Now I am going to have to go to China to ride this thing.

DAMN.

I will say the Peruvian one seems still a bit more challenging - no wussy sealed cars. You get to experience altitude sickness in all its glory.

Re:Big Week for China

[Anonymous Coward]

Ooops, the last 4 pictures are really fakes, but the Chineses are too lazy to remove the word 'mo2ni3', which meanings "simulated photoes", from these pictures' titles. otherwise, some stupid slashdot readers may think these pictures are for real.

**grin**

Now you can...

[elzurawka]

...join the mile high club without ever leaving the ground!

Re:Safety?

[smvp6459]

[U.S.-centric ignorance]30 degree heat? Wouldn't those poor people be hypothermic and not hot?[/U.S.-centric ignorance]

Historical Retrospective

[rlp]

I understand that in the early 1940's Germany had a pretty good rail system and was making remarkable progress with rocketry. Can't wait for the Slashdot retrospective on that.

Oh! Excuse me, have I triggered Godwin's Law?

This place really sucks

[xs650]

When the conductor opened the pressurized train car door for the first time in Tibet, the pasengers were heard to exclaim, "This place really sucks!" as they blew out the door.

Re:Sad to see all the sheer arrogance at /.

[p2sam]

Same can be said of the United Stated of America.

it _IS_ wrong that their spending billions on developing a space program with the amount of poverty there...
it _IS_ wrong what they have done, and continue to do to the iraqi people, etc...

FUCK YEAH!!!

Re:Safety?

[some guy I know]

[U.S.-centric ignorance]30 degree heat? Wouldn't those poor people be hypothermic and not hot?[/U.S.-centric ignorance]

You have to remember that the British measure their temperatures in centipedes, not fairyheights like sensible people.
So you have to convert from centipedes to fairyheights.
Let's see, 30 centipedes, multiply by 666, dance naked around the altar, carry the one, sacrifice the virgin, run the units program, type "30C<CR>F<CR>", and you get, uh, "conformability error", which is pretty damn hot I guess.

Re:Real shame...

[Anonymous Coward]

It does, you hypocrite.

Re:Mixed feelings

[Damer Face]

>The name of the game is the conquest of space and unmanned just doesn't get it done.

Yeah you're right, we need big burly space marines to beat all that vacuum into submission.

If they need some labor...

[areadan]

Maybe U.S. manufacturing workers who have been canned because their factories were outsourced can be a source of cheap labor for building the railroad. They can settle in China and become a vibrant minority, opening up 'american' restaurants on every corner. I can see it now: General Franks' Chicken.

Re:This brings back the Soviet-era joke

[Viol8]

Errr , sorry , you're going to have to explain that punchline. Don't get it.

Re:Safety?

[balloonpup]

Actually federal aviation regulations require that all civilian aircraft have a redundant subsystem that automatically returns them to low altitude in the event of a total engine failure.

Remember, kids, 9.8 m/s^2 isn't just a good idea, it's the law!