The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced on Wednesday a loan
of US$300 million to help fund construction of a 944-km railway
line across north China.
The railway will be the first east-west line connecting Shanxi
and Shaanxi provinces, and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and will
run from Taiyuan in central Shanxi to Zhongwei and Yinchuan in
Ningxia, a relatively poor area, said the China office of ADB.
The Ministry of Railways said construction began in
February.
A statement from the ADB said the US$3.75 billion project will
feature 520 km of electrified double track from Taiyuan to
Dingbian, 232 km of electrified single track from Dingbian to
Zhongwei, and 192 km of electrified single track from Dingbian to
Yinchuan.
It will include 41 new railway stations, modern safety
technology, and electronic and computerized management systems.
Manmohan Parkash, an ADB senior transport specialist, estimated
that 6.5 million people living in 22 districts would benefit from
the railway.
Half of these areas were considered poor, mainly due to
geographical isolation, limited and expensive transport access, and
poor access to market information, as well as health, education and
other social services.
The ADB has focused on the development of railways in poor,
less-developed inland provinces in China to promote sustainable
economic growth and reduce poverty.
Since China joined in 1986, the ADB has provided the country 13
loans totaling US$2.6 billion to fund the construction of 5,518 km
of new railway lines.
(Xinhua News Agency November 30, 2006)