中國鐵道部正對中國雄心勃勃的高鐵計劃做出重新評估。此前，一家頗具影響力的、有政府背景的智囊機構質疑，中國是否有能力負擔計劃中的高鐵網絡，以及該網絡是否實用。

　　In a report submitted by the China Academy of Science to the State Council, experts urged a rethink of the emphasis on massive infrastructure investment, particularly the bullet train expansion programme.

　　在中國科學院(CAS)提交給國務院的一份報告中，專家們敦促相關方面進行反思：是否應把重點放在大規模基礎設施投資、尤其是放在高鐵擴張計劃上。

　　One of the concerns expressed in the report is the unsustainable level of debt that has propelled rail building projects across the country, particularly since the government launched its stimulus package in late 2008 to combat the effects of the global economic crisis.

　　這份報告表達的一項擔憂是，推動鐵路建設的舉債規模已達到不可持續的水平，特別是自2008年底政府出臺刺激計劃對抗全球經濟危機影響以來。

　　The report found that the acceleration of infrastructure investment triggered by the stimulus package has caused a lack of integration between transport services across the country, leaving highways, subways, train stations and airports not properly connected.

　　報告發現，刺激計劃導致的基礎設施投資加速，已造成全國各交通服務之間缺乏系統整合，高速公路、地鐵、火車站和機場之間缺乏適當的連接。

　　Wen Jiabao, China’s premier, has seen the report and asked for further discussion of current high-speed rail plans, say people familiar with the matter.

　　知情人士稱，中國總理溫家寶已看到這份報告，并要求相關方面對目前的高鐵計劃做出進一步討論。

　　The review – and possible scaling back – come as provincial officials appear to have caught bullet train fever.

　　在相關方面重新評估、并可能縮減高鐵計劃規模之際，中國各省官員似乎患上了高鐵“狂熱癥”。

　　Local governments have between them asked for Beijing’s permission to expand the high-speed rail network by as much as 80 per cent above the already ambitious approved targets, according to analysts and Chinese media reports.

　　根據分析人士和中國媒體報道所稱，各地方政府要求中央政府允許它們在已獲批的宏偉目標基礎上，把高鐵網絡建設規模總共再擴大至多80%。

　　Under the current plan, the central government has authorised a high-speed network that will reach 16,000km by 2020 and service more than 90 per cent of the population.

　　根據目前的計劃，中央政府批準到2020年時建成1.6萬公里高鐵網絡，為90%以上的中國人口提供服務。

　　But as part of the stimulus the government more than doubled its planned investments in railways for 2009 and 2010 and now expects to have 13,000km of high-speed track by the end of 2012. That will give China more high-speed rail capacity – trains that travel at more than 250km an hour – than the rest of the world put together, according to data from the International Union of Railways and Nomura, the investment bank.

　　然而，作為刺激計劃的一部分，中央政府把2009年和2010年的鐵路建設計劃投資增加了一倍以上；這樣，到2012年底，中國便有望鋪設1.3萬公里高鐵軌道。國際鐵路聯盟(IUR)和投資銀行野村證券(Nomura)的數據顯示，這將讓中國的高鐵運輸能力超過世界其余地區的總和。高鐵是指時速超過250公里的列車。

　　But with dozens of new lines scheduled to open in the next two years, the high-speed connections already in operation are being carefully scrutinised.

　　但是，考慮到將有數十條計劃中的新建高鐵線路在未來兩年啟用，目前已投入運營的高鐵線路正受到密切審視。

　　Critics point out that bullet train services, such as the 1,000km Wuhan to Guangzhou connection that opened this year, are operating at less than half their full capacity and will never make enough money to repay the huge bank loans used to build them.

　　批評人士指出，高鐵線路——例如今年啟用的1000公里長的武廣高鐵——目前的上座率還不到一半，它們永遠不可能創造足夠多的利潤來償清銀行提供的巨額建設貸款。