Source: CCTV.com

12-08-2008 09:23

The construction of Beijing-Shanghai Express began earlier in April. As of now, 1200 kilometers of tracks have been laid, that's more than 90 percent of the total. Zhou Xiaoye examines how construction in this project has helped to lend a boost to flagging growth.

The construction of Beijing-Shanghai Express began earlier in April. As of now, 1200 kilometers of tracks have been laid, that's more than 90 percent of the total.
The construction of Beijing-Shanghai Express began earlier 
in April. As of now, 1200 kilometers of tracks have been 
laid, that's more than 90 percent of the total.

More than 110,000 workers from 700 construction companies are busy working on the express link project. This involves building related infrastructure such as the Huaihe Bridge and Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station. At these sites, construction is still in its early stages.

Ge Fang, Commander in Chief of Shanghai Hongqiao Station said "This pillar behind us weighs some 36 tons. The whole project needs more than 400 thousand cubic meters of reinforced concrete, 120 thousand tons of steel bars, and more than 80 thousand tons of other steel products."

Wang Yongping, Spokesman of Ministry of Railways said "Every cent we invest in this project will mean an extra 10 cents in expenditure in related industries like construction material and electronics. Also, 40 percent of our investment will be reserved for funding projects along the line, such as paying for labor, construction materials and the like."

Investment in the Beijing-Shanghai Express will hit 53 billion yuan by the end of the year. When complete in 5 years, it will be the longest express rail in the world, with travel speeds of up to 350 kilometers per hour. And that means cutting travel time to just 5 hours between the two cities.

 

Editor:Xiong Qu