The movement of key resources will be given priority in the building of an efficient transport network over the next five years.

The emphasis will be on building more rail lines for transporting coal, iron ore and oil, according to the Eleventh Five-year Plan (2006-10) formulated by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

"The plan takes into consideration the geographical positions of coal producers and users while expanding the rail network," Wang Qingyun, director of the NDRC's transport department, told China Daily yesterday.

Because of transport bottlenecks in the past two years, not enough coal from Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region reached power plants in coastal areas, especially in East and South China leading to massive power shortages.

Almost 40 percent of the nation's rail capacity is used to transport coal, said Wang, but "the strained capacity is a stumbling block to rapid economic growth."

The existing rail network can handle only 35 per cent of the demand for freight transportation, Ministry of Railways officials said.

To relieve pressure, capacity will be expanded by building more dedicated passenger lines between cities in major economic belts. "Construction of high-speed rail systems will be hastened in the Bohai Sea Rim, Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta areas," Wang said.

(China Daily August 10, 2005)