A NATIONAL programme to improve the quality of railway infrastructure construction is under way, indicate Ministry of Railways officials.
The ministry plans to establish and perfect a set of quality management systems _ including administrative supervision, social inspections, enterprise controls and consumer evaluations.
Building contractors working on major projects must meet the supervision centre's quality requirements beginning this year.
Ministry officials will conduct nationwide project-control supervisions, and suspend inspection rights of project control sectors not meeting standards.
The ministry's Construction Management Department plans to examine the overall quality of the newly built Beijing-Kowloon and Baoji-Zhongwei railway lines during the second half of the year.
Enterprises, which have manufactured railway equipment or related materials, with bad construction records will be published in the media.
They may also be prevented from bidding on railway construction projects or barred from supplying their materials for the projects.
In addition to major railway projects, responsibility systems must be initiated in joint venture railways, local railways and special railways.
China accelerated its railway construction while implementing a series of measures to enhance the quality of projects.
China invested 8.05 billion yuan ($969 million) in railway infrastructure during the first quarter of the year, indicate ministry statistics.
Subsequently, China has accomplished 19 per cent of its railway construction plan for the year.
(China Daily)
