Shanghai to expand rail transport networks
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-05-19 10:46

City design officials in Shanghai said that the traffic management department was considering a plan to connect Shanghai with the neighboring cities in the Yangtze River delta through rail transport systems.

Lu Ximing, president of the Institute of Shanghai City Transport Research, said the planned rail transport will cover areas within 150 to 200 km from Shanghai.

Suzhou, a famous tourist resort some 100 km west of Shanghai, was likely to be the first city connected to the rail transport system, said Zhu Husheng, board chair of Shanghai Subway Construction Co Ltd.

The overall construction plan has three focuses, namely the downtown, urban area and the Yangtze River delta. According to the plan, Shanghai will build rail transport networks in the downtown with a daily capacity of handling 10 million passengers.

Shanghai now spends approximately 170 billion yuan (US$20.5 billion), that's 5 percent of its GDP, on transport construction, including 100 billion yuan (US$12 billion) on the rail traffic. It plans to have 510 km of rail lines in 2010, which is roughly eight times of the current 65 km.

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