China will spend 350 billion yuan (US$42.3 billion) on railway
construction during the current tenth five-year plan period
(2001-05), in a bid to achieve international levels reached at the
end of the 20th century, and then advanced levels in some key
railway sectors by 2015, official said.
Cai Qinghua, China's Vice Minister of Railways, pointed out that
the country would open up its railway market step by step to shrink
the technology gap with developed countries as more foreign
capital, advanced technology and management expertise were
introduced.
Cai said during the Modern Railways 2002 Exhibition which opened in
Beijing on June 12, where visitors can experience the latest
technology and ideas around the world.
With the theme of "raising speed, improving safety, developing
high-speed railways and information systems", the exhibition has
attracted more than 150 businesses from a dozen countries like
Germany, France, the United States, Japan, Canada and the Republic
of Korea.
A
large number of railway companies from Japan come to the
exhibition, indicating their high hopes of involvement in China's
railways market. Japan built the world's first high speed railway,
the Shinkansen which has run at speeds of 300 km/h for 39 years
without a single person being killed.
"We hope to participate in the Beijing-Shanghai high speed railway
project, and we hope China has its own Shinkansen," said Yasuki
Kurasawa, administrative director of the Japanese Overseas Rolling
Stock Association, voicing his belief that China's railway sector
will be accessible now that the country is in the WTO.
"It's a collection of the world's top railway technology and
products," said Xiong Yongjun, head of the sponsor, the China
Academy of Railway Sciences (CARS). He said that he hoped the
exhibition would boost China's railway development with more
advanced technology and ideas.
Siemens Transportation Systems Group from Germany, for example,
showed a series of model trains to attract visitors, such as the
new European "concept train" capable of the world's top speed, and
a newly designed high-speed train on which it is convenient to
work.
China has decided to use top technology for the Beijing- Shanghai
High-Speed Railway Project, which has drawn worldwide attention.
The 1,300 kilometer-long railway will be its first ever high-speed
railway.
By
the time of completion, it will take only 4 and half hours from
Beijing to Shanghai with trains running at a speed of 350 km/h.
Chinese railway experts say that no matter what kind of technology
is used, Maglev or orbit, the project will tell the world that it
is no longer a dream for China's railways to reach world
standards.
(China
Daily June 13, 2002)