Construction of the first phase of a light railway in Changchun, the capital city of northeast China's Jilin Province, is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.
By that time, it will become China's first completed light railway, whose construction quality is up to par with the international standard.
The 15-kilometer-long rail will be put into operation next summer if the test run succeeds. It is estimated to transport nearly 10,000 passengers at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour.
The first phase of the rail project will connect with three districts, some malls, entertainment parks, industrial regions and residential complexes together, which brings convenience to local people.
China's capital Beijing will build 450 kilometers of rail networks in the next five years to improve urban transportation.
Some subways and light rails are under construction in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Dalian, Changchun, Guangzhou and Wuhan with a combined length of 167 kilometers.
Beijing now has 55.5 kilometers of transit rails in operation, Tianjin 7.4 kilometers, Shanghai 37 kilometers, Guangzhou 18.4 kilometers and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region 75 kilometers.
(Xinhua 03/05/2001)
