Chinese environmental regulators have ordered a halt to construction of a planned bullet train line in a new sign Beijing might be scaling back ambitious plans for its showcase high-speed rail system.
High-speed rail is a prestige project for the communist government to showcase China’s technological prowess and rising prosperity, but its multibillion-dollar plans have prompted complaints they are too costly for a nation where many still live in poverty.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection said on Wednesday that construction of a line linking Tianjin east of Beijing with the coastal city of Qinhuangdao to the northeast must stop because it lacks required environmental approval.
Phone calls to the Railway Ministry press office yesterday were not answered.
Official plans call for the high-speed network to grow to 13,000km of track this year and 16,000km by 2020.
The government signaled a possible shift in attitude when state media began airing criticism early this year. The official who was the public face of high-speed rail, the former railway minister, was fired in February in a graft probe, prompting suggestions his successor might scale back plans.
Last month, the government announced it would reduce the top speed of its fastest high-speed lines from 350kph to 300kph as of July 1, following warnings about possible safety risks.
It said lower-cost tickets would be made available following complaints many travelers couldn’t afford high-speed rail and regular trains were sold out during the Lunar New Year holiday in February.
Also last month, the environment ministry ordered a high-speed line linking the eastern cities of Qingdao and Jinan to suspend operation until it completes an environmental approval process.
The railway ministry said this month it would invest 745.5 billion yuan (US$115 billion) this year in its operations, including 600 billion yuan on infrastructure. That appeared to contradict earlier news reports that spending would be cut sharply due to concern about the high cost of high-speed rail.
A key project is a 215 billion yuan, 1,318km Beijing-Shanghai line that is due to open next year.
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