The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is helping China in building fresh railway systems through two technical assistance grants totaling US$1.1 million, the bank's news office said on Monday.

A grant of US$500,000 will be used to design a railway through mountainous parts of Gansu, Shaanxi, and Sichuan provinces and Chongqing municipality in China, the ADB said.

The grant will strengthen the government's planning for the project, which would involve construction of 817 kilometers of electrified line and 21 new stations linking the city of Lanzhou in the northwest to Chongqing in the southwest.

Because of the hilly terrain, some three quarters of the route's length will comprise tunnels and bridges. Among the activities planned under the assistance grant are field surveys, document reviews, data analysis and consultations, according to the ADB.

Meanwhile, a technical assistance grant of US$600,000 by the ADB is set to help develop more efficient and viable passenger railway systems in China, the ADB said in another news briefing.

Under the assistance, a team of international and national experts will review current practices in the country, research international experiences, and recommend actions to help the Chinese Ministry of Railways separate passenger and freight trains on key rail corridors, the ADB said.

(Xinhua News Agency January 30, 2007)