Investment in China's railways saw a significant drop in the first four months

of the year, new data from the Ministry of Railways (MOR) showed.

Fixed-asset investment in Chinese railways decreased 48.3 percent from a year

earlier to 89.6 billion yuan ($14.2 billion) during the January-April period,

among which investment in infrastructure shed 54.1 percent to 71.71 billion

yuan, according to the MOR.

The MOR planned to invest 500 billion yuan in railway fixed assets for the whole

year, including 400 billion yuan on infrastructure.

After years of torrid growth, construction and investment in China's railways

cooled remarkably in the wake of a train crash last July that left 40 people

dead and 172 injured.

But construction has gradually picked up pace since the fourth quarter of last

year, as the government moved to boost financial support to the sector to

guarantee the progression of major projects.

According to Wang Mengshu, chief engineer of the China Railway Tunnel Group, 80

percent of the halted projects have resumed construction and, with more

government-channeled funds this year, investment will gain momentum in the

coming months.

 

 

 

A Chinese artist dedicated a handcrafted sculpture to Illinois State

government on Wednesday, in a bid to pay tribute to the Chinese railroad

builders of the U.S. rail system.

The sculpture, named as "Pioneer of Railroad Construction" by its creator Yuan

Xikun, depicts three generations of Chinese railroad builders.

The state museum of Illinois will collect the sculpture as a permanent

collection.

The sculpture serves as a symbol of increasingly interconnected relationship

between China and the United States, Illinois State Governor Pat Quinn said.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Pacific Railway Act,

authorizing the building of the first transcontinental railroad across the

United States. Over 10,000 Chinese men contributed to the construction.

 

 

 

 

Appletravel.cn has launched online train ticket booking services for local

tourists. Instead of wasting your time in long queues in front of ticket windows

at the train station, passengers now can book and pay for your train ticket from

the comfort of your home, office or wherever you can access our website. Apple

Travel offers several payment methods to customers.

Apple Travel provides the latest online china train schedule search service for

those who are planning their train trip through China. Currently, Apple Travel

can help you to book the tickets of trains departing from the 17 cities, such as

Xiamen, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Please search your trains and start a

reservation at Apple Travel’s China Train Ticket Booking Center.

 

 

The judicial railway administration in Chongqing Municipality, Yunnan Province

and Hubei Province has been moved from the railway system to local judiciary,

Caixin.com reports.

Chongqing and Yunan switched over on May 4 and Hubei made the change on May 5, a

welcome change to what many considered to be an unfair system.

Since January 20, similar changes were seen in provinces of Shannxi, Shanxi,

Jiangsu, Gansu, Anhui and Beijing Municipality.

The transfer of administrations was declared in December 2010, but few railway

courts or procuratorates actively responded to the change.

According to Liu Bin, a researcher with the National Development and Reform

Commission (NDRC), the initiative for the current reform comes from an

announcement from the Ministry of Railways that it will cease to finance the

railway courts and procuratorates as of the end of June.

The Chinese railway judicial administration was copied after the Soviet model.

In such a system, the state-owned railway organs are in charge of railway

transportation and construction as well as the establishment of railway courts

and procuratorates, which maintain exclusive jurisdiction over railway cases and

concerns. In this system, judges are employees of state-owned enterprises rather

than public servants.

The legitimacy of railway courts has received wide public criticism in recent

years, as many worry that this sort of system will always benefit the state-

owned enterprises. It was also reported that the salary for mid-level judges in

the railway courts were double that of their local counterparts.

In 2008, a laborer with a mental illness died in a train after being tied up by

the train conductor. A sentence of 2 years imprisonment on the chief conductor

for manslaughter aroused deep suspicion regarding the impartiality of the

railway court. Fifteen experts, lawyers and journalists signed a petition, and

it was given at the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body.

Efforts to reform the railway system began more than 10 years ago, but reforms

moved at a slow pace.

 

 

 

 

China will continue with research and development into its new generation high-

speed trains despite the industry's tarnished image due to a spate of operation

faults last year, according to a plan for the country's rail traffic equipment

manufacturing industry.

The new generation trains will run at speeds of more than 300 km an hour,

according to the five-year plan for the industry for the 2011-2015 period, which

was released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Monday.

The plan underscores the reliability, comfort and maintainability of passenger

rail transportation equipment. It requires thorough research and development of

key technologies and systems related to rail traffic.

The fast development of high-speed trains came under question after frequent

operation failures and a fatal crash.

On July 23 last year, a high-speed train slammed into a stalled train  near the

eastern city of Wenzhou, leaving 40 people dead and 172 injured. The incident

was blamed on faulty signaling equipment.

Construction of high-speed trains and railways cooled sharply after the State

Council, or China's cabinet, ordered slower operational speeds in the wake of

the crash.

Trains with a maximum speed of 350 km per hour (kph) were ordered to run no

faster than 300 kph, while those with a maximum speed of 250 kph had to run at

no more than 200 kph.

Some analysts then predicted the accident would hamper the nation's exports of

high-speed train technologies.

But contrary to these concerns, China has continued to export a wide range of

equipment including electric multiple units, urban rail vehicles, steam

locomotives, large road maintenance equipment to many countries such as Russia,

Australia, Brazil, India, Argentina, Turkey, Iran and Malaysia.

"Compared to other high-end equipment manufacturing industries, the high-speed

rail sector has a better industry foundation. It is also the easiest in terms of

safety control," said Yuan Gangming, a researcher with Tsinghua University.

From 2006 to 2010, China enjoyed an average annual growth rate of 31.9 percent

in the sales value of rail traffic equipments. The nation is capable of

producing 2,000 high-power locomotives, 8,000 passenger rail vehicles and 60,000

freight wagons every year.

Nevertheless, like in other high-end equipment manufacturing industries, the

nation lacks independent property rights in the rail transportation equipment

sector.

For instance, about 80 percent of equipment that make integrated circuit chips

were imported, according to previous media reports.

The nation has called for more investment and innovation to boost independent

manufacturing. The plan revealed that in 2010, the nation's rail traffic

equipment producers put nearly four percent of their sales revenue into research

and development of new technologies.

The plan says that the nation's rail traffic will boom in coming five to 10

years with a large demand for various equipments. It estimates that the nation

will consume more than 1,000 electric multiple units and about 5,000 locomotives

from 2011 to 2015.

In recent years, urban rail systems have expanded fast across China as stifling

pollution and traffic congestion has become a development bottleneck of the

world's second largest economy.

By the end of 2010, 13 cities opened 49 railways with a mileage of 1,425.5

kilometers. The lines are sprawling. China now tops the world in the

construction of urban railways, with an average annual new mileage of 270

kilometers.

By 2015, the nation's urban rail system will have a total length of more than

2,700 kilometers, the plan says.

Meanwhile, overseas demand was forecast to grow as many countries are also

building new lines or upgrading old ones.

The global rail traffic equipment market will grow by 3 percent on average each

year by 2015, with an annual demand averaging more than 100 billion euros ($130

billion), the plan says, citing forecasts of the Association of the European

Rail Industry.

In the five-year plan, the ministry predicted that the industry's annual sales

value will exceed 400 billion yuan ($63 billion) every year and investment by

backbone enterprises in research and development will exceed 5 percent of their

annual sales by 2015.

By 2020, the industry's annual sales value would exceed 650 billion yuan and

investment in research and development would exceed 6 percent of annual sales,

it said.

A total of 606.48 million people traveled via China's railways during the first

four months of 2012, a year-on-year increase of 2.8 percent, the Ministry of

Railways said Sunday.

Passenger numbers increased the most in April due to rising travel demand during

the Qingming Festival (April 2 to 4) and Labor Day holiday (April 28 to May 1),

the ministry said.

The number of passengers traveling on trains rose 8.6 percent year-on-year in

April, 7.4 percentage points higher than the growth registered in the first

quarter, the ministry said.

Railways carried 1.33 billion tonnes of cargo in the first four months, up 3.8

percent from the previous year, the ministry added.

The ministry said it has increased support for the transport of important

production materials and living necessities such as coal, grain, oil and

chemical fertilizer.

The railways carried 785.34 million tonnes of coal, up 6.6 percent year-on-year

in the first four months, while the transport of grain increased 15 percent to

35.96 million tonnes during the period, the ministry said.

 

 

 

 

Construction on a heavy-haul railway that will link major coal producers in

Shanxi province with a sea outlet in eastern Shandong province began on

Saturday.

The Luliang-Rizhao freight railway, being built with an investment of 99.8

billion yuan ($15.8 billion), will run through the provinces of Shanxi, Henan

and Shandong at a total length of 1,260 km.

The railway is expected to ease road traffic bottlenecks created by transporting

large amounts of coal from Shanxi to coastal areas.

The railway is slated to go into operation by 2014 with an annual transportation

capacity of 200 million tonnes of coal.

 

Residents of Wuhan are divided over a proposal by the city government to ban

eating or taking pets on its first subway, which is scheduled to open by the end

of the year.

Other behaviors that are deemed possibly damaging to the environment in subway

stations or that could interfere with the subway's smooth operation are also

banned, such as graffiti, begging or taking balloons onto the train, according

to the proposal. It was made public on Monday by the Legislative Affairs Office

of Wuhan, the largest city in Central China.

Violations can result in a fine of 50 yuan ($8) to 100 yuan, while serious

violators, such as those who build inside subway stations without prior consent,

may face fines of 100,000 yuan and criminal charges in extreme cases. Subway

operators will also be fined, if they fail to respond to complaints of

passengers.

"We learned from other cities at home and abroad with subway operation

experience before making this regulation," said Zhang Gewen, an official of the

city's legislative affairs office, which is in charge of formulating the

regulation.

"For example, we intend to ban eating food onboard to prevent contamination on

the train. Besides, some food, such as instant noodles, can produce a strong

smell in the train, which is largely sealed."

Few cities in China impose fines on those who eat in the subway, with the

exception of Hong Kong, which levies fines of up to HK$ 2,000 ($260) on

violators.

In January, a video recording of a heated quarrel between several Hong Kong

residents and a mother from Chinese mainland stirred much discussion on the

Internet. The dispute occurred when Hong Kong residents complained about the

woman's daughter eating on a subway train in Hong Kong.

In Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu province, there are regulations

forbidding eating in subways, but punishments are rarely given out because "we

encourage the residents to follow the rules voluntarily," according to the

hotline of Nanjing Subway.

However, most of the regulations made by the Wuhan government are commonly

adopted by subway operators in China, such as banning pets from entering the

train, said Zhang.

Zhang said it is necessary to formulate such rules to better manage the system

because a new subway line will be put into service in the city every year for

the next few years.

"After soliciting public opinion, the proposal will be submitted to a higher

authority and then to the provincial People's Congress for approval," said

Zhang. "It may take effect at the start of next year, if all goes well."

"I think it's right to issue such a regulation," said Zheng Lifang, a doctor in

Wuhan.

Some have different opinions.

"I don't think eating chocolate or chewing gum bothers others and should be

fined," said Chen Sihan, a human resources manager in Wuhan.

"I support a ban on eating food in the subway because instant noodles can

produce a smell that spreads," said Chen Ting, a 25-year-old resident of the

city. "But I doubt whether the regulation can be carried out. Who will monitor

and punish those eating on the train?"

Residents of Wuhan are divided over a proposal by the city government to ban

eating or taking pets on its first subway, which is scheduled to open by the end

of the year.

Other behaviors that are deemed possibly damaging to the environment in subway

stations or that could interfere with the subway's smooth operation are also

banned, such as graffiti, begging or taking balloons onto the train, according

to the proposal. It was made public on Monday by the Legislative Affairs Office

of Wuhan, the largest city in Central China.

Violations can result in a fine of 50 yuan ($8) to 100 yuan, while serious

violators, such as those who build inside subway stations without prior consent,

may face fines of 100,000 yuan and criminal charges in extreme cases. Subway

operators will also be fined, if they fail to respond to complaints of

passengers.

"We learned from other cities at home and abroad with subway operation

experience before making this regulation," said Zhang Gewen, an official of the

city's legislative affairs office, which is in charge of formulating the

regulation.

"For example, we intend to ban eating food onboard to prevent contamination on

the train. Besides, some food, such as instant noodles, can produce a strong

smell in the train, which is largely sealed."

Few cities in China impose fines on those who eat in the subway, with the

exception of Hong Kong, which levies fines of up to HK$ 2,000 ($260) on

violators.

In January, a video recording of a heated quarrel between several Hong Kong

residents and a mother from Chinese mainland stirred much discussion on the

Internet. The dispute occurred when Hong Kong residents complained about the

woman's daughter eating on a subway train in Hong Kong.

In Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu province, there are regulations

forbidding eating in subways, but punishments are rarely given out because "we

encourage the residents to follow the rules voluntarily," according to the

hotline of Nanjing Subway.

However, most of the regulations made by the Wuhan government are commonly

adopted by subway operators in China, such as banning pets from entering the

train, said Zhang.

Zhang said it is necessary to formulate such rules to better manage the system

because a new subway line will be put into service in the city every year for

the next few years.

"After soliciting public opinion, the proposal will be submitted to a higher

authority and then to the provincial People's Congress for approval," said

Zhang. "It may take effect at the start of next year, if all goes well."

"I think it's right to issue such a regulation," said Zheng Lifang, a doctor in

Wuhan.

Some have different opinions.

"I don't think eating chocolate or chewing gum bothers others and should be

fined," said Chen Sihan, a human resources manager in Wuhan.

"I support a ban on eating food in the subway because instant noodles can

produce a smell that spreads," said Chen Ting, a 25-year-old resident of the

city. "But I doubt whether the regulation can be carried out. Who will monitor

and punish those eating on the train?"

Three cities in Guangdong province have agreed to connect their subway lines, a

step forward for the province to promote internal economic integration.

According to the agreement, Shenzhen's subway line 16 will extend to reach

Fenggang township in Huizhou, while Shenzhen's subway lines 6 and 11 will

connect with Dongguan's R1 and R3 lines.

The traffic integration is expected to accelerate the economic cooperation of

the three cities.

Other agreements on regional innovation, quality control of agricultural product

and cultural cooperation were also signed.

Under the deals, Shenzhen-based companies including automaker BYD and telecom

equipment producer Huawei Technologies will build research and development bases

in Dongguan and Huizhou.

Huang Yebin, Party chief of Huizhou, said Huizhou, an agricultural powerhouse,

will benefit the most in the integration.

 

 

 

Shanghai : Shanghai is carrying out tests so that its metro trains can run

without drivers.

Currently testing technologies to allow subway trains to be piloted

automatically, without human drivers, Shanghai metro is likely to implement the

technology on a route by this year-end, reported Shanghai Daily.

Shao Weizhong, vice president of Shanghai Shentong Metro Group, said Line 10 is

"originally designed to be driverless model".

The route was opened to service in 2010 and unmanned driving was expected to be

put into use a year into the operation. It, however, got delayed as the operator

feared the technologies were not mature.

The plan skidded when two Line 10 trains collided in a tunnel, causing injuries

to hundreds of commuters.

Xu, a daily metro commuter, wondered: "The trains crashed even when drivers were

on, then who would board an unmanned train?"

 

 

 

 

 

Beijing Subway has Monday denied neglecting security checks, and states that the

negative press related to the topic focuses upon an individual case,

Chinanews.com reports.

The Beijing Subway responded to media coverage of a recent case in which

prohibited knives were able to pass through 3 subway security checks within 45

minutes.

"We have seized 29.8 thousand pieces of contraband, accounting for 0.11 percent

of the inspection items until April 30 this year," said an official from the

Beijing Mass Transit Railway Operation Corp.

The official went on to say, "We strictly adhere to the safety inspection

practices of Beijing Urban Rail Transit and carry out security work to ensure

public safety."

According to official statistics, since security checks began on June 29, 2008,

Beijing Subway stations have examined a total of 2.4 billion objects, and seized

169,600 prohibited items including military appliances, imitation guns, shells,

bullets, bombs, knives and inflammable and explosive materials.

There are 378 security check stations situated across the 13 lines under the

management of the Beijing Mass Transit Railway Operation Corp., manned by over

5,000 security personnel.

Beijing's subway lines posted a record daily passenger trips of 8.39

million on Saturday, according to the Beijing MTR Corporation.

The Labor Day holiday encouraged many people to take public transportation, with

all of the subway's lines breaking passenger records on Saturday, the company

said.

Subway lines one and two recorded 1.6 million and 1.5 million passenger rides,

respectively, on Saturday.

Beijing currently has 15 subway lines in operation. The total length in

operation is 372 kilometers.

According to plan, number of lines will reach 19 by 2015 with a combined length

of 561 kilometers. By 2020, the total subway length is expected to increase to

1,000 kilometers.

 

 

 

 

More than 49 million people have traveled on the Qinghai-Tibet railway, the world's highest, since the route opened in July 2006, the railway company said Monday.

Passengers on the Qinghai-Tibet railway have increased on average 10.3 percent annually, said Wang Tao, spokesman with the Xining-based Qinghai-Tibet Railway Company.

The number of passengers taking the train has increased from 6.4 million in 2006 to 10 million in 2011, said Wang.

The high-elevation railway that connects Xining, capital of Qinghai province, to Tibet's capital Lhasa, also transported 40 million tonnes of cargo in 2011, up 8 percent year-on-year.

Tourism in Tibet autonomous region in southwestern China has boomed since the 1,956-km railway went into operation six years ago. In 2011, a total of 8.6 million tourists visited Tibet.

By the end of the 2011-2015 period, it is expected that Tibet and Qinghai will receive annual tourist arrivals of 15 and 20 million respectively.

 

China is looking to expand the sales revenue of its high-end equipment manufacturing sector to six trillion yuan ($951 billion) by 2015, according to the industry’s 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) published on Monday by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Sales of high-end equipment will account for 15 percent of the overall revenue of equipment manufacturing industry, and help generate 28 percent of industrial added value, together with a larger share of the global market, according to the plan on the ministry’s website.

By 2020, the proportion of revenue will expand to 25 percent, while the industrial added value part will grow another two percentage points, which will make high-end equipment manufacturing a pillar industry of the world’s second-largest economy.

High-end equipment mainly refers to aviation equipment, satellite and applications, railway transportation equipment, marine engineering equipment, and intelligent manufacturing equipment.

In 2010, the sales income of high-end equipment in China was 1.6 trillion yuan, which accounted for 8 percent of the total revenue of the equipment manufacturing industry.

The boom in the sector was attributed to China’s fast-growing industrial economy, which had the top position worldwide for two years in a row since 2009, according to the ministry.

Aircraft manufacturing will be one of the key growth areas, as the plan vowed to launch a new regional aircraft research project, while seeking an annual sales volume of 100 planes in the next three years by accelerating the innovation and promotion of existing models such as ARJ-21 and MA 60.

Meanwhile, China will continue its investment in high-speed railway innovation and the exploration of global markets, in order to establish its railway transportation industry as the world leader.

Supportive policies such as tax cuts on imports of raw materials and vital spare parts will be issued, and more financial resources will be directed to high-end equipment manufacturers to facilitate their development, according to the plan.
-China is looking to expand the sales revenue of its high-end equipment manufacturing sector to six trillion yuan ($951 billion) by 2015, according to the industry’s 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) published on Monday by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Sales of high-end equipment will account for 15 percent of the overall revenue of equipment manufacturing industry, and help generate 28 percent of industrial added value, together with a larger share of the global market, according to the plan on the ministry’s website.

By 2020, the proportion of revenue will expand to 25 percent, while the industrial added value part will grow another two percentage points, which will make high-end equipment manufacturing a pillar industry of the world’s second-largest economy.

High-end equipment mainly refers to aviation equipment, satellite and applications, railway transportation equipment, marine engineering equipment, and intelligent manufacturing equipment.

In 2010, the sales income of high-end equipment in China was 1.6 trillion yuan, which accounted for 8 percent of the total revenue of the equipment manufacturing industry.

The boom in the sector was attributed to China’s fast-growing industrial economy, which had the top position worldwide for two years in a row since 2009, according to the ministry.

Aircraft manufacturing will be one of the key growth areas, as the plan vowed to launch a new regional aircraft research project, while seeking an annual sales volume of 100 planes in the next three years by accelerating the innovation and promotion of existing models such as ARJ-21 and MA 60.

Meanwhile, China will continue its investment in high-speed railway innovation and the exploration of global markets, in order to establish its railway transportation industry as the world leader.

Supportive policies such as tax cuts on imports of raw materials and vital spare parts will be issued, and more financial resources will be directed to high-end equipment manufacturers to facilitate their development, according to the plan.

 

 

 

On March 29, Chinese version of well-known American business magazine “Fortune” released the list of “TOP 50 Most Influential Business Leaders”. Zhao Xiaogang, Chairman of China South Locomotive & Rolling Stock Corporation, is selected on the list.

“Fortune” states, “The catastrophic accident last year led to controversy about the development of high-speed rail in China. For the same reason, CSR’s later 500-km/h “Experimental MU” did not usher in much acclaim. However, as the head of China South Locomotive and Rolling, Zhao Xiaogang has never doubted that the development of the railway will be an important engine of China’s economic development in the next five years. In the dialogue with the media, he mentions the development of high-speed rail in the United States is restrained by the mature aviation industry, while Chinese civil aviation, highways and high-speed rail complement each other. The development of railway is essential to reducing the high cost of logistics in China.”

“Fortune” magazine is subordinate to the Time Inc. of Time Warner Group. It mainly publishes research articles on economic problems and has profound influence in the economic sector.

On the released list of “Top 50 Most Influential Business Leaders”, Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei ranks first, followed by Liu Chuanzhi, Chairman of Legend Holdings, and Zhang Ruimin, Chairman of Haier. “Fortune” points out that the business influence in Asia is shifting from Japan to China, and the trend that Chinese entrepreneurs will become an important force in the global business community is increasingly evident.