The new Himalayan railway that links Beijing with Tibet is now the world’s highest rail line. It’s also an “engineering marvel” and a testament to the spirit of the human imagination - it took nearly five years and more than $4 billion to build, and its 1,200 miles of tracks traverse 342 miles of permafrost, much of it at altitudes exceeding 13,000 feet. In order to overcome these conditions, engineers used sunshades and high-tech cooling columns plunged into embankments to help ensure the ground stays frozen. Moreover, China reached out to Western companies such as Bombardier, GE, and Nortel for the communications network and locomotives capable of hauling at high altitudes. During the inaugural journey that began on July 1, it was impossible to forget the harsh conditions of the high-altitude Himalayan permafrost: “Pens spit ink and packaged foods burst in the low pressure as the Sky Train climbed the 16,640-foot Tanggula Pass. Laptop computers and digital music players failed… Some passengers threw up. Others took Tibetan herbs or breathed oxygen from tubes…”

Certainly, the Chinese innovation is not without its problems. Many Tibetans view the railway as a “Chinese invasion” that will encourage Chinese immigrants to displace the native Tibetan culture. While Tibet’s spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has thus far avoided criticizing the railway, it’s easy to understand the fears of the native Tibetan population. (How would some remote areas of Texas feel about the prospect of new high-speed trains from Mexico crossing the Rio Grande?) Moreover, there are environmental concerns about the train. For example, during the maiden voyage, passengers noticed plastic bags, bottles and cardboard boxes scattered along the tracks.

Anyway, there are great photos of the railway over at Wired magazine as well as a great account of the building of the railway at Fortune magazine. There’s also a brief one-minute video of the railway from Reuters.

Tags: China Tibet railway innovation

[image: Wired]

DaimlerChrysler is piggybacking on the early success of using its chairman (Dieter Zetsche) as a TV pitchman with a new Internet site called Ask Dr. Z, which gives Dieter Zetsche (actually, an animated cartoon icon of Dieter Zetsche) an opportunity to answer consumer questions about DaimlerChrysler. For example, some consumers have asked Dr. Z about the company’s new concept cars, while others have asked more mundane questions about miles per gallon performance. According to the sitemeter statistics flashing in red when I stopped by, over 280,000 Internet users have already checked out Dr. Z. Presumably, more will be on the way, thanks to a new full-page ad (”The doctor is in at AskDrZ.com”) that appeared in the Wall Street Journal today. To get a flavor of the TV commercials, check out Jalopnik’s review of Dr. Z’s television performance:

“Not since Lee Iacocca dared TV viewers to find a better-built car than a Chrysler and buy it (they did, it was called a Toyota) has a CEO type stepped in front of a camera to pitch the company’s wares. Now, finding itself in a lack-of-image crisis, Chrysler’s turning Dieter Zetsche’s natural blend of goofy avuncularity and stoic Germanness into what they hope is TV (and sales) gold — in a persona they’re calling “Dr. Z.” A Web site launch preceeds a spate of new spots that feature Zetsche answering mail from fictional consumers. In the first one, a Jalopnik exclusive ad premiere, Dr. Z takes apart a 300C to demonstrate how its suspension is the product of German (and American) engineering. It’s not as outright bat**** mad as Volkswagen’s “Un-pimp My Ride” spots, but we’d imagine they’ll work just as well, if convincing the public that Chryslers are really Mercedes is really a sound branding strategy.”

Tags: DaimlerChrysler DieterZetsche Dr. Z