In the first two weeks of operation, the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway has brought more complaints that its designers may have liked.

Stories of malfunctioning carriages and power outages have spread like wildfires throughout cyber space as more and more people begin to worry about the safety of the new line. My colleague Wang Tao takes a look at the explanations offered by railway authorities and experts.

Five malfunctions in five days. Some trains broke-down mid-trip but restarted, some required passengers to switch trains causing delays, and some failed even before the trip began.

China's Ministry of Railways explains that as the line is brand new, its operation procedures need to be streamlined and adjustments made. The service stoppage was made for safety concerns, adding that the problems will not cause security hazards.

Chinese experts seemed to agree with this view.

Professor Wang Mengshu, Beijing Jiaotong University, said, "The trains are safe. In the beginning period, we still have lots of adjustments to make both while the train is static and in motion. We have to make sure that nothing is wrong with the trains and no accidents happen in the operation."

So far, all the malfunctions are due to reasons other than the trains themselves, such as bad weather or an electricity supply cut.

But this explanation has not done much to assure passengers about its security, with some choosing other modes of transport. News of these malfunctions have caused quite a stir on micro-blogs, putting railway authorities under pressure.

The Ministry of Railways has already made a comprehensive diagnosis of the problems and required all parties, including the operators, engineers, and train makers, to make concerted efforts to ensure the smooth operation of China's crown jewel of its high speed train network.

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