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Sun Yongfu,
Vice-minister of Railways, said at the Western Forum October
22 that, during the 10th Five-year Plan period, China will build
railways to Tibet to promote the economic development of the
Tibet Autonomous Region and to strengthen the national defense.
He pointed out that the railway would play a significant role
in the western region development. The western region railway
development plan is an important component of the "10th
five-year" railway development blueprint now under making.
He noted that during the period, China would invest 100 billion
yuan (US$12.05 billion) in railway construction in China's western
regions, accounting for about 40 percent of the national total.
By the end of the period, some 18,000 km long trunk network
of railways will be built to basically relieve the strained
situation of transportation in southwest and northwest China.
He also said that the building of an international channel in
western regions is an important part of railway construction
in west China during the 10th Five-year Plan period.
In addition, it is necessary to intensify efforts to renovate
existing railways, besides continuing to expand the capacity
and renovation of the Yangpingguan-Ankang line, a task has been
newly arranged for the capacity-expansion and renovation of
the line from northern Yan'an to Xinfeng Town, capacity-expansion
and renovation will also be conducted for the section from Xining
to Golmud on the Qinghai-Tibet line, and for the Beijiang (northern
Xinjiang) Railway.
(Xinhua 10/23/2000) |
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