The Ministry of Railways plans to invest some 100 billion yuan (US$12.1 billion) on railway construction in western China over the next five years.

Sun Yongfu, vice-minister of railways, said 2,000 kilometres of railways will be added to the existing 16,000 kilometres in western China by 2005.

Sun indicated that work on the first railway on "the roof of the world"- the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau - would start during this time.

He said details of the plan will be revealed early this year.

The ministry has planned another 27 rail projects in the region, which will make up 40 per cent of the total railway construction nationwide.

The central government has decided to accelerate the development of the relatively underdeveloped western parts of the country in the new century.

"We will also renovate the existing railway networks there, especially those that connect to Central Asian countries," the vice-minister said.

Main railways connecting Baoji and Lanzhou, Zhuzhou and Liupanshui, Nanjing and Xi'an, Neijiang and Kunming and Shenmu and Xi'an will be priority projects.

Based on major cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, a high-speed railway network will be formed over the next five years, and most provincial capital cities in the west will be connected to it.

Trains will run at 140 to 160 kilometres an hour along major railways by 2005, and most cities in China should be reachable within 24 hours.

The ministry has arranged 3.5 billion yuan (US$420 million) to renovate obsolete routes and upgrade supervision and communication systems next year.

China experienced three upgrades to its railway in 1997, 1998, and 2000, when some 10,000 kilometres of track were primed for faster trains.

Experts reckon China still has some 10,000 kilometres of railway in need of renovation.

Date: 01/04/2001
Author: GUO AIBING, China Daily staff