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Trains to Speed up Ahead of Schedule
The Ministry of Railways will further accelerate the speed of trains this year, one year ahead of schedule, according to an official from the ministry.
The Trains linking Beijing and Kowloon in Hongkong, Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces, Hubei's Wuhan and Sichuan's Chengdu, and Beijing and Guangzhou would see a new round of speed increase in the latter half of this year, said Liu Zhijun, vice minister of railways.
Liu said Most of those trains have been traveling at more than 120 kilometers per hour in recent years and have the potential to go faster.
Liu did not give details of the new speed-ups, but said preparations were going well.
The ministry originally planned to launch the fourth nationwide speed-up in 2002, and had announced a 3.5 billion yuan package for related renovations last year.
China has experienced three nationwide speed increases. Trains can now operate at 140 kilometers an hour along main tracks.
China has renovated 10,000 kilometers of tracks for high-speed operations, and the ministry predicts there are still 10,000 kilometers of track needing work to make them suitable for high-speed trains.
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