Government Approves Hi-Speed Rail Link for Shanghai
and Nanjing
The Chinese government has approved construction of a
hi-speed railway linking Shanghai and Nanjing. The new
rail link will shorten travel time from the current 2
1/2 hours to one hour.
The acting mayor of Nanjing, Jiang Hongkun, said that
construction on the rail link will begin in 2004. According
to the Beijing Youth Daily, the hi-speed rail link is
an important part of the Yangzi River Delta's expansion,
which includes Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou. The Yangzi
River Delta is actively competiting with the Pearl River
Delta in Guangdong, which includes Hong Kong, Guangzhou,
Shenzhen and their environs.
Both areas are quickly building to improve their infrastructure
development, and become attractive investment sites for
businesses. Both areas want to provide a "One-Hour
Business Circle", meaning that it would be possible
for business persons to travel by high speed trains in
their respective areas to any point to conduct business
within one hour.
The mayor of Hangzhou, Mao Linsheng, says that he hopes
that there can be a magnetic levitation train line connecting
Shanghai and Hangzhou. "My dream is for a business
man to be able to leave the Jingmao Tower in Shanghai
(currently the tallest building in the world), at the
end of the day, and be able to drink tea by Xihu (West
Lake) before the sun goes down," he said. However,
the government has not yet decided whether the line will
be a magnetic levitation train, or conventional hi-speed
train, and the contractor has not been decided on yet.
The Chinese government is now evaluating contractors
to build a hi-speed train connecting Shanghai and Beijing.
Currently, it is in discussions with Japan, Germany and
France. All three countries have dispatched their transport
ministers to China in the hope that they will be able
to win the contract.
Shanghai is now served by a maglev train connecting downtown
Shanghai and the international airport in Pudong. The
new line was built in a record one and a half years, and
has shortened travel time from 40 minutes to 7 minutes.
The lead contractor for the project was Siemens of Germany.
Prime Minister Gerhard Schroeder visited China to ride
on the train with former Prime Minister Zhu Rongji at
its inauguration. Ever since, Germany has been actively
pushing to get additional hi-speed train contracts in
China.
Before you go, did you like this article?
If so, you can receive a free email newsletter version
each weekday. Sign up using the China Business Express
form on this page.
