本期杂志定稿的日子，正是2008年春节长假刚过的大年初七。我们国家渡过了一个令人难忘的春节：罕见的暴风雪造成了电力短缺和交通运输中断，不屈的民族冲破雨雪冰冻的阻碍过大年。
雪灾对我国的交通、能源、应对突发事件能力等是个严峻的考验。党中央果断决策，民族精神经受大洗礼，实践证明，中国特色社会主义能够办大事。
抗冰战雪，也使我们懂得更多：中国亟需基础设施建设和燃料；中国经济依赖煤炭等燃料的及时运输。笔者年轻时在学校里就听老师说过：中国铁路“倒”了煤就不倒霉，不“倒”煤就要倒霉。
有统计显示，截至2007年底，我国铁路营运里程总长还不足8万km，占全球铁路总长度约6%，却承担着全球约1/4的铁路运输量。目前我国的铁路客运量仅占全社会客运量的7％，而日本的铁路客运量占全国的30 %。完成同样的运输量，铁路建设占地仅为高速公路占地的1/10。这些正是中国铁路必须大发展的理由。因此，中共中央在关于“十一五”规划的建议中提出：“加快发展铁路、城市轨道交通”。按照2007年10月31日国务院常务会议原则通过的《综合交通网中长期发展规划》，到2020年我国铁路运营里程将达到12万km以上。这就意味着在今后的13年间每年要修3000多km铁路，这将开创我国铁路建设史上的新纪录（旧中国自清末开始修建铁路以来，平均每年建设铁路323km；新中国成立至“十五”期末平均每年建设铁路946km）。
今年春运遭遇的空前雪灾，是危机也可转变为契机，未来如果能建成四通八达的干线铁路网和地区轨道交通网，大范围的雨雪冰冻便不至于产生那么大的危害了。因此，铁路大发展，正昭示着交通运输的春天即将来临。
本期刊发的《城市轨道交通市域线》两篇征文，都提出了市区线与市郊线的不同特点，主张采用不同运输组织方式。十分可喜的是，根据北京市调整后的规划方案，拟采用市郊铁路的形式解决郊区卫星城与城市中心区的联系；总长360km、连接14个卫星城的市郊铁路将充分利用现有的国铁资源，计划在2020年之前全部建成；上海市也准备在今年将铁路金山支线改建为时速达160km的市郊铁路。建设市郊铁路将促进我国的城市轨道交通又好又快发展。
The day when this draft was finalized is the 7th day of the Chinese New Year, ---- just after the long Spring Festival vacation, and this New Year is very unforgettable to all the Chinese people, because they had to overcome the tremendous difficulties caused by the unexceptional snowstorms, such as the severe electric shortage and the traffic jam.
This snow disaster is an enormous test for the capabilities of Chinese government towards great emergencies, including the suddenly occurred traffic trouble, energy supply shortage and other accompanied problems. Thanks to the decisive measures of the Party Central Committee (PCC) of China, the resolute spirit of Chinese people experienced another nation-wide test, and the result proves a fact that the socialism with Chinese characters will face any great challenges.
From the fighting against the snow disaster, people also learnt a lot. Our minds are now clearer than never before that China is still under great pressure of infrastructure construction and energy supply, the economic development in China relies deeply on the timely transportation of coal and other fuels. It reminds me of my college time, when a professor told me that the railway is built to transport coal, otherwise the railway will face great troubles.
As the statistics show, by the end of 2007, the total operation mileage of Chinese railways is less than 80,000 km, which takes only 6% of the world’s total length, but carries 25% of the total transportation volumes of the railways. On the other hand, the railway passenger transportation volume in China takes about 7% of the total passenger traffic volume, while that in Japan is 30%. People already know that, to complete a task of the same amount of transportation volume, the railway needs only 1/10 of the land in its construction compared to road construction, this is the very reason why shall we develop more railway transportation in China. Therefore, the PCC pointed out in the 11th Five-Year-Plan that the construction of railway and urban mass transit shall be accelerated.
According to the “Mid- and Long Term Development Planning for the Integrated Transportation” approved by the State Council in principle on October 31, 2007, the operational mileage of railways by 2020 will be extended to 120,000 km, that is to say, we have to build more than 3,000 km’s railway lines every year from now on for 13 years, this will be a totally new record in the history of Chinese railway construction. By the way, since the first railway line was built by the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), averagely 323 km’s railway were built every year; and from 1949 when the PRC was established to the end of the 10th Five-Year-Plan, the yearly built railway was about 946 km.
The Spring Transport of 2008 faced the unprecedented snow disaster, but we might turn this crisis into a kind of opportunity. We are going to build a trunk network of railways leading to every corner of China, together with the construction of the local rail transit networks, then any large sphere of snow and freezing disasters will possibly do us less harm. Actually, the great development of railway construction will predict the Golden Age of rail transportation development in China.
2 articles in the column of Solicited Essays for URT of this issue simultaneously discussed the different characters of urban rail transit and suburban lines, and argued on different transport patterns. It is very encouraging that Beijing will adopt the suburban railway to link the satellite cities and the central districts according to the adjusted scheme of urban transportation. By 2020, about 360 km railways, which will make full use of the existing state railway lines, will be constructed to link the 14 satellite cities in Beijing. Shanghai will also reform the existing Jinshan Branch Line of the state-owned railway into a suburban line which will allow an operation of 160 km/h in 2008. The construction of suburban railways will promote the better and rapid development of URT in Chinese cities.
来源：2008年第2期《城市轨道交通研究》杂志 2008-2-19