Chinese commuters' need for speed is causing turnstile problems.
Human traffic Image: Faungg |
German engineering, it seems, is no match for China's sheer strength in numbers. European-made subway equipment cannot cope with Beijing's subway traffic, causing multiple technical failures and slowdowns.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, an unnamed German engineer claimed he was "shocked" and "puzzled" by the faulty machines, which had be running efficiently in Europe for years.
Ticket timings were the troublesome factor. Based on European usage, the engineers had alotted 2-3 seconds between ticket insertions at peak times. In China, however, even half a second is still to slow for speedy subway users.
Although multiple engineers have been dispatched from Germany, a nation famed for its engineering prowess, the problem is proving tricky to fix. Both software and hardware need to be updated for the turnstiles to run smoothly.
This shortcoming has paved the way for speed-oriented Chinese competitors to compete for government contracts. Zhang Yi, a manager at a Beijing-based city maintenance vehicle company, claims there is now a trend toward favouring domestic companies with local expertise for engineering projects.