State lawmakers to evaluate high-speed rail in China, site of deadly train crash

A group of state lawmakers has flown to China to see if California can learn anything from that country about building a high-speed rail system.

But the lesson may be about what not to do: the state senators are arriving in a country mourning an accident last month in which two Chinese bullet trains collided, killing at least 39 people and injuring 200.

The delegation includes Democrats Kevin De Leon of Los Angeles, Ron Calderon of Montebello and Lou Correa of Santa Ana and is being paid for by the Chinese Ministry of Railways.

The July 23 accident has raised questions about the safety of the Chinese high-speed rail system, with the Shanghai Railway Bureau finding that “design flaws” in the track’s signaling equipment contributed to the accident. L.A. TIMES