BIZCHINA> News
|
BIZCHINA> News
|
|
High-speed trains delayed on 1st day
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-04-23 17:18 China's new high-speed rail service began on April 18, only to grind to a halt in the south of the country when one train broke down, delaying 32 others for more than five hours.
A passenger train failed to function due to a "mechanical glitch" en route from Guangzhou to Shenzhen at 7:35 AM, delaying other rail traffic, including 21 high-speed trains, said officials with Guangzhou Railway Group. The official made a public apology for the delay, but declined to say whether the stalled engine was a high-speed train. Local railway departments took emergency measures and schedules returned to normal at 12:40 PM. China boosted its railway speed for the sixth time on Wednesday and 280 high-speed trains went into operation. More than 500 high-speed trains will be in service by the end of the year. "Safety is crucial in the speed boost", said Zhang Shuguang, the ministry's deputy chief engineer, adding the government had allocated about 100 million yuan to "thoroughly improve and upgrade" tracks. In 2006, China made up for a quarter of the world's total railway transport volume, while its total track was only six percent of the world's total, said spokesman with the ministry. The speed boost would help to increase passenger capacity on the nation's 77,000-kilometer of rail lines by 18 percent and cargo capacity by 12 percent, according to the ministry. (For more biz stories, please visit Industries)
|
