Source: CCTV.com

01-12-2008 10:38

China's railway system is integral for many of China's 1.3 billion people-be it for commuting or when they travel home for the holidays.

China's railway system is integral for many of China's 1.3 billion people-be it for commuting or when they travel home for the holidays.(CCTV.com)
This is what the Beijing South Railway Station will
look like in half a year's time.(CCTV.com)

At a press conference on Friday,the Ministry of Railways says China will enter a new era of railway travel by 2010.

This is what the Beijing South Railway Station will look like in half a year's time.

Official say the renovated station will be come the number one passenger railway hub in the nation, with a floor space over 200,000 square meters.

It will also boast a waiting room which can accommodate as many as 10,000 people.

The railway regulator says that so far, 19 train stations in major cities like Shanghai and Nanjing have already been upgraded. Another 19 stations are due to be renovated in cities such as Wuhan, Guangzhou, Suzhou and Tianjin.

Passengers can also look forward to other upsides besides more spacious, modern train stations.

Officials say high speed railways and passenger-only lines will also help make it easier and more comfortable for passengers to travel by rail in China.

China's railway system is integral for many of China's 1.3 billion people-be it for commuting or when they travel home for the holidays.(CCTV.com)
China's railway system is integral for many of China's
1.3 billion people-be it for commuting or when they 
travel home for the holidays.(CCTV.com)

Wang Yongping, Spokesman of Ministry of Railways, said, "The passenger-only lines will change the current situation that both passenger and cargo transport share the same railways. It will make it much easier for passengers to get on the trains. It will also improve the cargo transport capability."

The railway regulator says China will have 15,000 kilometers of new tracks built and put into operation over the next three years, with close to half designated for passenger-only high speed tracks.

The total length will reach 120,000 kilometers by 2020.

It adds that China will also strengthen international cooperation in the railway sector, including the construction of the pan-Asian railway network and technical cooperation with developed countries.

 

Editor:Zhang Pengfei