The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing a 100 million U.S.
dollars loan to help develop an efficient and effective emergency
management system for China's railway system.
The Railway Safety Enhancement Project will also receive 40
million dollars from the Ministry of Railways to complete the
funding requirement, ADB said in a statement released on
Monday.
The new technology will enable the railway system to respond
more quickly to emergencies, reduce restoration time and enhance
safety, it said.
The successful implementation of the project will lead to
improved reliability, higher mobility, increased network capacity,
optimal use of the railway network and other related assets, and
increased staff productivity, the regional lender said.
At the end of 2006, China's railway system spanned 77,000
kilometers. The country's rail system has the highest freight
transport density in the world and the second highest passenger
transport density next to Japan, the bank said.
(Xinhua News Agency December 18, 2007)