The planned Shanghai-Hangzhou magnetic levitation train line,
which has nearby residents worried about magnetic radiation
pollution, will be assessed by the state environmental watchdog, a
senior official said Wednesday.
"The project impacts the direct interests of people living along
the route, and some residents, scholars and organizations have been
questioning (its environmental impact)," Zhang Lijun, deputy head
of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), said
during an online interview by China's central government Web
site.
He said the SEPA has received an environmental assessment report
of the project from the contractors and will invite experts to
assess the project's environmental impact.
The official said the SEPA will make its decision based on
scientific evaluation, after thoroughly studying opinions of
experts and the public.
Approved by the central government in March 2006, the 175-km
Shanghai-Hangzhou maglev rail project is estimated to cost 35
billion yuan (US$4.5 billion). Trains will be able to reach a speed
of 450 km per hour.
According to the designers' blueprint, the maglev route would
run southwest from the existing maglev station in Shanghai's
financial center. It will then pass the Shanghai World Expo venue
and cross the Huangpu River to the Shanghai Southern Railway
Station.
From there, a double track is supposed to be built with the
northern route leading to the Hongqiao International Airport and
the southern route linking Jiaxing and Hangzhou while following the
Shanghai-Hangzhou expressway.
The 34.8-km Shanghai leg of the proposed maglev route will run
across the districts of Pudong, Xuhui and Minhang. Minhang District
in the southern suburbs of Shanghai is to be a juncture of the two
lines.
(Xinhua News Agency June 14, 2007)
