CHINA planned to invest three trillion yuan to four trillion yuan (US$450 billion-US$600 billion) in its high-speed rail network between 2011-2015.
The high-speed rail industry had been included in the government s list of seven key sectors to be boosted, China Securities Journal reported, quoting unidentified sources. The Railways Ministry had already completed the first draft of the industry s development blueprint for the next five-year period, it said.
Under the government s long-term plan, China s railways were expected to reach 120,000 kilometers by 2015, of which more than 16,000 kilometers would be high-speed railways.
The country s high-speed rail network has been developing rapidly over the past decade, with a total rail length reaching 7,531 kilometers, the world s longest. (SD-Agencies)
High-speed railway development
April 18, 2008 Construction started on the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway. Trains on the line will have a top operational speed of 380 km/h.
Aug. 1, 2008 The first inter-city express line, the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway, began service with a speed of 350 km/h.
Dec. 26, 2009 The Wuhan-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway was put into service with an operating speed of 350 km/h.
Dec. 3, 2010 A CRH-380A train set a new speed record of 486.1 km/h on a test run on the Beijing-Shanghai line.(Xinhua)
