NYTimes: China’s Ambitious Rail Projects Crash Into Harsh Realities in Latin America

[cteno4]

Interesting read.

 

Jeff

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/04/world/americas/chinas-ambitious-rail-projects-crash-into-harsh-realities-in-latin-america.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share

[Nick_Burman]

Like the two Chinese diesel locos purchased by an operator here in Brazil some time ago...both dead after a couple of years in service.

 

 

Cheers NB

[bikkuri bahn]

One problem is the Chinese prefer to bring in their own labor for obvious reasons- ok if the nation in question looks the other way or is corrupt, but problematic/impossible where labor laws are more strict (see Brazil or the case of Kiwirail Chinese locomotives' asbestos removal).

Edited October 5, 2015 by bikkuri bahn

[Eurostar25]

Certainly agree with the Kiwirail example and it was an issue with repairing the 500 or so container flats bought into NZ, very cheap Chinese workers were brought out and paid a fraction of the wage. Kiwirail has had so much trouble with the cheap and quick fix Chinese locos and wagons. (Asbestos in the paint work, failing alternator fan blades, incorrect coupler heights, brake block issues, flat deck wagons that were built with a cambered deck resulting in standard shipping containers not fitting correctly, I could go on but won't derail the thread)