Plan launched to improve rail travel

Drills to prepare for fires, explosions and mass incidents at large train stations in Olympic host cities and areas most at risk from terrorism will be carried out this year, the Ministry of Railways said last week.

Exercises to prepare for chaotic situations, such as a breakdown of the ticket sales system, train dispatch system or capital management system, are also planned, spokesman Wang Yongping said.

In addition, five projects to improve railway safety and management will get under way this year, he said. The projects are an inspection system for the new 300-kmh passenger railway between Beijing and Tianjin, a gale warning system to protect against trains being blown off their tracks, a video surveillance system, a railway information sharing platform, and an emergency response training base.