China turns out first batch of rails for fast train (Xinhua) Updated: 2005-12-24 11:08
China's first 1,500 tons of rails that can accommodate trains traveling at
350 kilometers per hour rolled off the mill and have passed quality appraisal,
experts said Saturday.
The rails, produced in the Panzhihua Iron and Steel Co., a major steel
production base in Sichuan Province, southwest China, are each 100 meters long
and weigh 60 kilograms per meter, will soon be transported to Xi'an in
neighboring Shaanxi Province for the construction of a test fast train section,
said experts with China's rail science research institutes, which conducted the
quality test.
With China's rapid economic and social development, railway construction will
enter of period of boom between now and 2020, when the total length of railways
in operation across the country is expected to extend from 73,000 kilometers to
100,000 kilometers.
The Chinese-made rails for fast trains will help boost the construction of 11
high-speed passenger rail lines, according industry insiders.
"The production of the rail will also enhance our company's competitive
capacity with foreign companies," said a company executive, but he did not
disclose the annual production capacity of the rail.
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