Railway boom to boost industries

Investment will increase demand for steel, absorb overcapacity

China's railway construction boom will help boost the struggling steel, cement, glass and other heavy industries to put the country's economic growth on a firmer footing in the second half of this year.

Earlier economic indicators suggested that China's 2014 first-half growth had slipped below the annual target of 7.5 percent, which pushed the government to take more decisive measures to manage a healthy growth pace.