中國兩輛動車7月23日在浙江省境內相撞，這是中國動車從2007年開始運行以來發(fā)生的首起重大致命事故。 Two Chinese bullet trains collided in the eastern province of Zhejiang on July 23. The fatal collision was the first serious accident involving China's bullet trains, which began running in 2007.

在一起動車撞車事故導致至少39人死亡和200多人受傷后，為化解民憤，中國撤免了三位高級鐵路官員。政府還停運了58列列車，并要求全國進行緊急安全檢查。
China has sacked three senior railway officials in an effort to head off public anger following a high-speed rail crash that left at least 39 people dead and more than 200 injured. The government also halted the operation of 58 trains and called for an emergency nationwide safety check.

中國兩輛動車7月23日在浙江省境內相撞，這是中國動車從2007年開始運行以來發(fā)生的首起重大致命事故。中國正以創(chuàng)紀錄速度建設全球最大高鐵網(wǎng)絡，政府在高鐵建設上投入了巨額資金。
Two Chinese bullet trains collided in the eastern province of Zhejiang on July 23. The fatal collision was the first serious accident involving China's bullet trains, which began running in 2007. China is in the process of building the world's largest high-speed railway network in record time, which has received huge state investment.

原鐵道部長劉志軍今年2月因“嚴重違紀”被免職后，中國高速列車受到了密切關注。在劉志軍被免職后，由于安全性和票價承受能力方面的擔憂，政府宣布將高鐵最高運行時速從350公里下調為300公里。
China's bullet trains came under intense scrutiny this year after Liu Zhijun, the railways minister, was dismissed in February for "serious disciplinary violations." Soon after his removal, the government announced it would cut the top speed of its bullet lines to 300km/h from 350km/h (186mph) because of safety and affordability concerns.

上周六發(fā)生撞車事故后，上海鐵路局局長、黨委書記和一位副局長被立刻免職。
The head of the Shanghai railway bureau, the deputy head, and the bureau's Communist party chief were all fired after Saturday's crash.

這起事故的原因是一輛動車受到雷擊而斷電，被另一輛動車追尾撞上。事故造成6節(jié)車廂脫軌（每節(jié)車廂可乘坐大約100名乘客），其中至少3節(jié)車廂掉下了橋。
The accident occurred when one train lost power after a lightning strike and was hit from behind by another train. Six carriages, each with a capacity of about 100 passengers, were knocked off the tracks, with at least three carriages falling off a bridge.

電視畫面顯示，在事故發(fā)生不到24小時后，幾輛重型挖掘機正在橋下掩埋部分損毀車體。發(fā)生事故的列車屬于第一代動車，最高時速為250公里，低于上月在盛大聲勢下開通的京滬高鐵。
Footage on the television showed heavy diggers burying much of the wreckage at the foot of a bridge less than 24 hours after the accident. The trains in the crash were first-generation bullet trains, with top speeds of 250km/h, and so not as fast as those on a line that opened last month between Beijing and Shanghai to great fanfare.

新華社承認這起事故引起了極大的民憤，并援引來自網(wǎng)上的部分評論，其中有位網(wǎng)民表示：“重新贏得顧客信任將是一個漫長而艱難的過程。”
Xinhua News Agency acknowledged an outpouring of anger over the accident by quoting some of the many comments posted on websites. "It will be a long and tough process to earn customers' trust again," it cited one person as saying.

(China.org.cn July 29, 2011)