New cars often suffer quality glitches that auto makers try to work out over time. As annoying as those kinks may be to consumers, at least cars don’t travel at the super high speeds bullet trains can reach.

　　新款汽车常常存在质量上的毛病，需要生产商花时间来解决。这些故障固然有可能让消费者恼火，但至少汽车不用跑出子弹头列车能够达到的那种超高速度。

　　Malfunctions for high-speed trains, however minor they may be, are indeed an entirely different matter, especially for China’s showcase high-speed trains that could travel at top speeds of 350 kilometers an hour.

　　而高铁列车一出故障，不管是多么小的故障，确实就完全不一样了，特别是对于最高时速可达350公里的中国高铁列车来说。

　　On Thursday, Wang Yongping, spokesman for China’s powerful Ministry of Railways, apologized for the recent spate of high-speed train malfunctions during an online chat, which was later posted on the ministry’s website. Mr. Wang expressed regret for problems with power outages and other malfunctions that have plagued the new high-speed line between Beijing and Shanghai since it opened last month.

　　上周四，中国实力部门铁道部的新闻发言人王勇平通过网上聊天，就近期出现的一系列高铁事故道歉。访谈内容后来发布在铁道部网站上。王勇平对京沪高铁上个月开通以来遭遇的停电和其他故障表达了歉意。

　　The online chat was conducted on July 14 on a People’s Daily Online forum with a patriotic overtone. The chat wasn’t exclusively about the malfunctions high-speed trains suffered on the Beijing-Shanghai line but was meant to discuss the overall performance of the line since its debut. Still, Mr. Wang provided some technical details.

　　这次网上访谈于7月14日在人民网强国论坛进行，其内容不是专门讲京沪高铁遇到的故障，而是讨论这条线路开通以来的整体表现。但王勇平提供了一些技术细节。

　　“Since July 10th, due to severe lightning and power supply malfunctions, some trains were delayed. But through July 13, 94% of the departures were on time, while 85.6% of the arrivals were reported to be punctual,” Mr. Wang said on the chat, noting that the trophy high-speed rail line was “still in a break-in period.”

　　王勇平在访谈中说，“7月10日以来，因雷电和供电故障影响，造成了部分列车晚点”，但“截至13日，列车始发正点率为94%，终到正点率为85.6%”。他指出，这条头戴光环的高铁线仍然处在“磨合期”。

　　“The malfunctions haven’t affected the overall safety” of the rail line, he said, adding, “our technology and equipment are still very advanced and qualified. China’s high-speed rail will show better performance in the future” once the current spate of malfunctions is resolved.

　　他说，这些故障没有影响京沪高铁的整体安全。他说，“我们的技术装备还是非常先进合格的”，当前的这一系列故障解决之后，“中国高铁将会表现得更加出色”。

　　Those malfunctions have proven embarrassing for China, which has been boasting of the superiority of its high-speed rail system, touting that its technology is superior to that of Japan’s vaunted Shinkansen. The flagship 1,318-kilometer Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail line opened late last month.

　　中国一直在夸耀其高铁系统的优越性，声称其技术优于日本引以为豪的新干线，京沪高铁出现的这些故障却让它感到难堪。作为中国高铁旗舰的京沪高铁于上月下旬开通，全长1,318公里。

　　Mr. Wang’s apology follows an incident on Wednesday when service on the line was temporarily halted after one of the trains broke down, causing hundreds of passengers to have to transfer to another train to complete their journey.

　　王勇平道歉之前的上周三还发生一起事故，当时一趟列车出现故障造成全线临时停运，数百名乘客不得不转乘另一趟列车前往目的地。

　　It was the third delay in four days on the line, which officially launched on June 30 with Premier Wen Jiabao among its inaugural riders. Power failures stopped 29 trains on Tuesday (July 12), after a similar mishap halted 11 trains Sunday.

　　那是京沪高铁开通四天出现的第三次延误。京沪高铁于6月30日正式开通，国务院总理温家宝是其首发乘客之一。7月12日（周二），29趟列车因电力故障延误，此前7月10日（周日）还曾有11趟列车因同样故障延误。

　　The ministry posted a statement Tuesday apologizing for the accident. “Due to the malfunction of power-supply infrastructure near the Suzhou section of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail line, multiple trains were delayed. The breakdown was resolved after intensive repair. All delayed trains resumed operation,” the ministry said. “The railway authorities apologize to passengers for the inconvenience the delay caused.”

　　铁道部上周二发布声明为当天的事故致歉。声明说：“京沪高铁宿州附近因供电设备故障，造成部分列车晚点。经全力抢修，故障处理完毕，晚点列车恢复运行。”声明还说：“对列车晚点给旅客造成的不便，铁路部门表示歉意。”

　　China needs to fix high-speed rail problems quickly. Otherwise, it won’t be able to keep boasting that the country’s trains are superior to those in Europe and Japan.

　　中国需要尽快修复高铁存在的问题，不然就不能够继续夸耀自己的高铁优于欧洲和日本。