China to form high-speed railway network by 2015

BEIJING -- China will have established a high-speed railway network covering almost all its cities with a population of more than 500,000 by 2015, according to a latest official program.

The State Council late Tuesday issued a plan for building a comprehensive transportation network during the 2011-15 period.

According to the plan, China should basically complete the construction of a high-speed railway network with a total operating length of more than 40,000 kilometers by the end of 2015.

Analysts expect China's railway equipment manufacturing industry will see rapid growth.

"We forecast the country's railway construction will accelerate and the investment in the construction will also speed up in the next few years," according to Sinolink Securities Co, a Chinese brokerage company.

China will initially establish a comprehensive transportation network with a total length of 4.9 million kilometers, mainly including railways, roads and inland waterways, according to the plan.