With China also announcing its intention to build its own longer-distance ultra-high-speed vacuum maglev pipeline railway, the world became even more vibrant. This was clearly a competition between the two sides, and many began to discuss who would be the first to succeed.
Oh, wait, it was whether China could actually build this ultra-high-speed vacuum maglev pipeline.
Well, even in the eyes of many Chinese people themselves, their country being able to construct this ultra-high-speed vacuum maglev pipeline was a great victory.
And as if to counter these speculations, a research report from a Korean professor soon appeared on the headlines of major news media and magazines.
Don't ask me why it was a research report from a Korean professor. It's probably because South Korea is relatively close to China and far from the United States. Unlike reports directly from the US, it appears more sincere.
In this article, the Korean professor stated that based on his investigation, it seems China purchased the US ultra-high-speed vacuum maglev pipeline technology from the United States, rather than developing it themselves. Therefore, they could only build the ultra-high-speed vacuum maglev pipeline within China and were not qualified to start construction in other countries.
As for the source of this news, he claimed it was revealed by a senior industry insider. In any case, no one knew who this senior industry insider actually was.
Of course, such claims were immediately dismissed by Chinese netizens. As a Korean professor, shouldn't you be saying the technology was stolen from Korea? This isn't "universal" enough!
Then, the professor began to analyze the technologies of the two countries.
Firstly, since China's technology was bought from the US, there shouldn't be significant technical issues. Theoretically, they could build a barely acceptable and usable ultra-high-speed vacuum maglev pipeline.
However, to construct such a challenging transportation facility, besides mastering the relevant technology, the construction technology is also crucial. Having the technology but not the corresponding construction expertise would be disastrous.
When constructing ultra-high-speed vacuum maglev pipelines, due to their characteristics, they can only be bent at a very small angle. Furthermore, if observed solely with the naked eye, the entire pipeline would appear almost indistinguishable from being straight.
Therefore, if such a pipeline is to be built, it would necessitate opening paths through mountains and building bridges over water, which heavily tests a nation's infrastructure capabilities. The US possesses the world's strongest machinery, technology, and skilled workers, but China has never showcased any world-class large-scale engineering constructions, so this aspect presents significant problems.
Moreover, opening paths through mountains and building bridges over water are only the most basic issues. The key lies in how to make the constructed pipeline resistant to wind, water, freezing, and most critically, earthquakes. These are all highly difficult problems during construction. Even with US technology, it took over 10 years to slowly resolve these issues. As for China, it would likely take more than a decade after solving these technical problems.
In addition to these construction issues, the construction of the pipeline itself is also a major problem.
Based on the technical details of the US technology he possesses, the ultra-high-speed vacuum maglev pipeline requires many high-strength materials. These materials are very scarce worldwide, and many can only be produced by a single company with unique expertise. China has not mastered the production technology for these materials. Therefore, if they want to manufacture ultra-high-speed vacuum maglev pipelines, they will have to import these materials from other countries.
However, the problem is that these materials have had very limited applications in the past, resulting in low production volumes. They are insufficient to meet the quantities required for large-scale projects like ultra-high-speed vacuum maglev pipelines. Even if those companies work overtime, it wouldn't be enough, let alone two companies needing to purchase them simultaneously.
These companies are generally distributed in the United States, Europe, Japan, and South Korea.
Therefore, the two companies will inevitably engage in fierce competition for these construction materials. As is well known, Europe and Japan are the United States' backyard… no, they are firm allies. Thus, US products will definitely be prioritized for supply to the US, and corresponding products from Europe will also be supplied to the US first.
As for South Korea itself, the professor did not write about it, but the whole world knows that if Europe and Japan are the US's backyard, then South Korea is essentially the US's restroom, where they can do whatever they please.
Due to the high difficulty in construction technology and pipeline manufacturing, the professor quickly concluded that technologically, China would need at least another 10 years to truly build a qualified pipeline.
Next, the professor proceeded to analyze in detail the difficulties the two countries face in actually constructing ultra-high-speed vacuum maglev pipelines.
First, the professor stated that the route from California to New York State primarily passes through plains.
Moreover, because Americans pay attention to environmental protection, most areas do not have many buildings; they are all vast farmland. This environment is particularly suitable for the construction of ultra-high-speed vacuum maglev pipelines. The entire process is very simple and fast, like assembling building blocks, connecting one section of the pipeline after another.
Finally, the Korean professor boldly predicted that it would take about 5 years for the first phase of this ultra-high-speed vacuum maglev pipeline to open for traffic, and about 10 years for the entire ultra-high-speed vacuum maglev pipeline to be fully operational, becoming a miracle in human history.
However, the situation China faces is the opposite. According to China's own plan, this ultra-high-speed vacuum maglev pipeline will extend from the frigid northeast region all the way to the temperate Yunnan province, resulting in significant climatic variations. It will also have to traverse over a dozen different complex terrain structures, with the mountainous terrain in the southwest region being the most difficult. There are virtually no plains in the entire southwest region, and a large portion of the pipeline will have to pass through various mountain ranges, presenting extremely immense construction difficulties.
Moreover, what is even more challenging is the frequent seismic activity in the southwest region, which multiplies the construction difficulty.
Then, the Korean professor made another bold prediction, stating that by the time the US ultra-high-speed vacuum maglev pipeline officially opens, China's pipeline will likely not have even left the Northeast provinces.
This article, with all data essentially derived from the words of senior industry insiders and all predictions based on speculative analysis, surprisingly received unanimous praise and recognition from global media. Numerous media outlets published extensive reports based on this prediction, discrediting China's pipeline and turning it into a huge joke.
Even more astonishingly, some individuals within China, likely having read this report and feeling indignant, led to media protests.
However, these protests were not directed at the media but at China's Ultra-High-Speed Railway Development Company, demanding that they immediately abandon this financially draining project and stop wasting money on projects with no future, designed solely for boasting.
It would be better to give the money to the poor. These people always have the same tune: instead of wasting money on unreliable things, give it to the poor.
In short, it seemed the entire world was waiting to witness China's folly. Meanwhile, China's Ultra-High-Speed Railway Development Company made no public response, merely releasing a planned timeline.
According to this timeline, all route planning and preparatory work would be completed by the end of 2009, with official construction commencing in early 2010. The first section, from Harbin to the capital, was projected to be completed before 2015. After successful acceptance, it would officially open for operation.
This news immediately triggered widespread ridicule.
It's uncertain if they can even accumulate the necessary technology within 10 years, yet they are planning to open for traffic within 5 years. Such boastful claims are unacceptable.
Soon, a reporter sought out a high-level executive from Union Pacific Railroad Company for their opinion. The executive, in a very arrogant tone, stated, "Instead of making grand pronouncements, it's better to calmly focus on doing practical work."
The reporter then followed up by curiously asking about the current progress of Union Pacific Railroad Company's project. The executive confidently replied, "We are recruiting the best employees and arranging the most outstanding management team!"
"???" The reporter's face was immediately filled with question marks. Helplessly, the Union Pacific Railroad Company executive had to explain that the construction of the US ultra-high-speed vacuum maglev pipeline was not being handled by Union Pacific Railroad Company, but by a joint venture formed by over 20 companies, the United Super Vacuum Railway Pipeline Construction Company!
This company had already been established. However, as it was an enterprise jointly invested and established by over 20 companies, consensus on the management team still needed to be negotiated.
However, the executive quickly added that the remaining disagreements were temporary. A consensus had been reached in recent meetings, the management team would be announced soon, and the entire company's listing process would commence to raise the first installment of construction funds.
"The entire process is estimated to be completed within three months, and in six months, we will be able to begin direct construction. Unlike some companies that, despite lacking construction capabilities, pretend to conduct route surveys."
"Our company doesn't need surveys; we forge paths through mountains and build bridges over water, creating an endless straight line!" the executive said passionately, eliciting enthusiastic applause and even more impassioned writing from the reporter.
A few days later, the report was published. Due to its fiery prose, it immediately attracted widespread discussion and attention on social media. Especially the final sentence, "an endless straight line," was lauded by countless people as the most beautiful straight line of the 21st century.
This sentence, much like "the most beautiful scenery of a certain province is its people," became an annual internet quote.