China should rein in the current pace of high-speed railway construction and revamp operational policies, a member of the China Public Interest Party urged yesterday.

The proposal will be discussed during the upcoming national session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference which begins in Beijing tomorrow.

Some 10,000-plus kilometers of high-speed railways are under construction or planned at present while the service nationwide now extends to more than 7,500 kilometers. Bullet trains on the special tracks can reach speeds of 350kph and will be quicker on lines still be completed.

But high-speed railway development has gone far beyond the current economic situation of Chinese society, said Wu Youying, a leader of the party's Shanghai committee.

Passenger traffic is slack on many high-speed trains because fares are too expensive, she said.

Wu said she had investigated the operation of several high-speed train lines in China, including the Shanghai-Nanjing and Beijing-Tianjin services, and found that the average fare per kilometer was about 25 to 33 percent that of similar services in Japan and the European Union.

"But considering the large income gap between average Chinese people and residents in these countries, China's current high-speed railway service is unaffordable for ordinary people," Wu said in her proposal.

Under railway ministry plans, China will have 13,000 kilometers of high-speed railways in service by the end of next year, becoming the country with the largest network of its kind in the world. China is also looking at investing no less than 700 billion yuan in the next five years to facilitate the expansion.

That probably means a large reduction of cheaper and slower rail services, Wu said.

The railway authority has already cut many ordinary train services sharing similar routes after opening high-speed railways, explaining that this was needed to make room for high-speed railway development and to avoid redundant services.

But the policy hasn't been able to attract or retain passengers, many of whom weren't prepared to pay the higher ticket prices, leading to losses on such lines, Wu said.

"I suggest we exercise more prudence in realizing future developments and slow down the pace before a careful reconsideration," she said.

Speedy train construction may continue in areas with more developed economies, such as between coastal cities and regions, but in the less-developed inland areas, construction plans should be suspended, she said.

Wu also called for the restoration of cancelled ordinary trains in needy regions and urged a thorough study of people's travel needs and economic ability.

Ordinary people should have an influence on ticket pricing at public hearings, Wu said.

"Railway development plans should be more down to the earth by taking into account what people really need," she added.

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