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No train, no gain as China's transit links spike
By Song Wenwei (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-29 14:25
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CHANGZHOU: With 40 percent of the expected 70 million Expo visitors likely to use the city's rail links, Shanghai is rushing to complete new subway lines in time for the opening of Expo on May 1. At the same time, other major cities are also working to increase the number of rail networks.
"Plans have been made to speed up urban rail transportation in China and over 700 billion yuan ($102.5 billion) will be invested in the construction of 2,610 km of urban rail links in the next few years," said Li Xiaojiang, head of China Academy of Urban Planning and Design.
About 1,400 km of rail networks are being built in 25 cities across China. Meanwhile, subway rail lines in 10 cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Nanjing and Shenzhen reached 933 km at the end of 2009. Shanghai led the way with 343 km. It will have 420 km of rail lines by the start of Expo.
Such rapid developments had brought great changes to Chinese cities and enhanced their social and economic progress, said Wang Weicheng, mayor of Changzhou, a manufacturing and textile hub in Jiangsu province. Wang was speaking at an Expo forum on Rail Transit: Heritage and Innovation of Urban Civilization, held earlier this month in Changzhou.
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The city boasts such notable enterprises and R&D centers as CSR Qishuyan Locomotive & Rolling Stock Co Ltd and Changzhou Railcar Propulsion Engineering R&D Center. Over 60 manufacturers of rail equipment are based in the city, with total sales revenue of 19 billion yuan last year.
Apart from providing stock for domestic metro projects, the manufacturers also produce equipment for overseas markets, such as the London Underground.
"We will strengthen our R&D efforts to develop core components of high-powered, internal-combustion locomotives, urban rail transportation vehicles and core independent intellectual property rights in the next five years," said Wang.
