Chinese Regulators Order Halt to Building of Bullet Train Line

Construction of a high-speed train line being built between Tianjin and Qinhuangdao has been halted due to environmental concerns. From AP:

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 Wednesday 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 approvals.

Phone calls to the Railway Ministry press office on Thursday were not answered.

Official plans call for the high-speed network to grow to 13,000 kilometres of track this year and 16,000 kilometres by 2020.

The government signalled 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 sucecssor might scale back plans.

Read more about Liu Zhijun, the former Minister of Railways who is being investigated for corruption via CDT.

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