Olympics power Qingdao transport construction

It is a widely heard Olympics question - what is the time for that distance?

To some residents of Shandong province in east China, the answer is two and a half hours. That is how long it now takes on a China railway high-speed (CRH) bullet train to get from Jinan, capital of the province, to Qingdao, host city of 2008 Olympic sailing competition.

An inter-city highway network can now provide access to the summer gala in a three-hour drive from 15 cities in the province. For Qingdao locals, the sailing center is only a half hour's drive over the improved highway system.

"Thanks to the Olympics, we enjoy the convenience brought by the current transport network that was finished five years ahead of schedule," says Mayor Xia Geng. "More than 400 kilometers of highway have been built in the past five years. Qingdao has grown into a communication hub linking China and the overseas."

The city government plans to invest a total of 77 billion yuan in a modern transportation system during the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-10) to ensure Qingdao's position as an international shipping center and regional airline hub, says the Qingdao Municipal Communication Commission.

According to the plan, 23.2 billion yuan will be earmarked for road construction, 25.17 billion yuan for port projects, 4.3 billion yuan for air terminals, 18.34 billion yuan for new railways and stations and 2.25 billion yuan for bus stations.

By the end of 2010, the city's total road mileage is planned to expand to 8,000 km, an increase of 25 percent from 2005, while bus service is expected to total 141 routes serving 3,100 km.

As authorities accelerate measures to increase rail capacity, annual passenger numbers are projected to reach 8 million and cargo projected to total 37.54 million tons in 2010.

Qingdao Port's throughput is at the same time expected to grow to 320 million tons and have an annual throughput of 12 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers.

The city's airport is expected to accommodate 12 million passengers and 160,000 tons of cargo and mail by 2010.

To achieve the goals, the city government is building feeder highways to the harbors of Qianwan, Dongjiakou and Aoshan, all a part of the Qingdao Port region, to forge a direct link between the port and urban areas.

Qingdao Port is continuing to develop into a prime shipping center for northeast Asia through construction of deep-water berths and expanding sea routes while enhancing cooperation with the neighboring ports of Yantai and Rizhao.

Four projects are planned for the Qingdao Airport - centers of aviation, service, maintenance and cargo freight.

An urban rail transit network is also in the pipeline. Its initial phase will link the city's airport, railway station and bus terminals.

Renovation on the Qingdao railway station is scheduled for completion before the onset of the August 2008 Olympic Games.

CRH bullet trains will offer service from Qingdao and more than 10 cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, said an official from the Qingdao railway station.

(China Daily 04/02/2008 page24)