Power comes back to railway line

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Source: CCTV.com | 02-11-2008 15:13

Special Report:   Winter Storm Relief

After seven straight days of repairs and reconstruction, electricity supplies along the Chenzhou and Changsha sections of the Beijing-Guangzhou railway line has been successfully restored.

For 7 days, these workers have been racing against time and working around the clock in the cold to reconnect a damaged 110 kilo-volt power line.

Meanwhile, the situation is also improving in the southwestern province of Guizhou, after some of the worst snowstorms in decades cut power to dozens of counties and towns. Authorities say the electricity should be back 'on' through the entire province no later than early March.

For 7 days, these workers have been racing against time and working around the clock in the cold to reconnect a damaged 110 kilo-volt power line. And their efforts were finally rewarded. The electricity supply was restored to normal along the Chenzhou section of the country's main north-south train link. Electricity also returned along the Changsha section of the line.

Xiao Zhirong, general manager of Hunan Power Installation Project Co., said, "When we saw lights come back at many houses in Chenzhou, we felt all our hard work was worthwhile."

Days of heavy snowfalls brought down 12 power transfer towers along the Chenzhou section. As a result, electricity supply along the section, and in the city, was completely disrupted. In order to guarantee that the line remained open, trains passing through had to be pulled by diesel locomotives.

In the southwestern province of Guizhou, 30,000 technicians are going all out to repair damaged power lines and facilities. 4,000 engineers and technicians from neighboring provinces are also working on the network.

Yuan Maozhen, board chairman of S. China State Grid, said, "We plan to finish repairing all the damaged 110 and 220 kilo-volt power lines and power transfer stations so that basic electricity in Guizhou can be restored. We also plan to finish repairing all of the damaged 500 kilo-volt power network by the end of March so that power supply can be completely restored in the south of the country, including the power supply from the west to the east."