The Ministry of Railways is investigating a newspaper report
that claimed fake materials were used in the construction of the
Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed passenger railway.
The Beijing-based China Economic Times reported yesterday that a
large quantity of fake cold fly ash, a constituent of concrete, had
been used along several hundred kilometers of the 93-billion yuan
(US$12.24 billion) railway line, on which trains will travel at up
to 350 kph.
The newspaper said construction contractors had been tricked
into buying the fake material by unscrupulous suppliers and had
used it widely, which might put the safety of the railway at
risk.
An official with the Ministry of Railways, who asked not to be
named, told China Daily yesterday that an initial investigation
suggested the report had exaggerated some facts, such as the
reference to the "wide" use of the fake materials.
The ministry will not, however, make an official statement until
the investigation is completed, the source said.
The Wuhan-Guangzhou railway corporation also began its own
investigation yesterday.
The presence of the fake material was discovered in March by an
engineer surnamed Zhang.
While concrete was being pumped on site, a blockage occurred in
the pipe, which is uncommon. After an investigation, Zhang
suggested the concrete contained fake coal fly ash and that this
might have led to the blockage.
Coal fly ash is produced from the burning of pulverized coal. It
is a fine-grained, powdery material that is used in the manufacture
of concrete.
Because the requirement for coal fly ash was "small", the
railway corporation said it did not invite bids from suppliers as
it had for other construction materials. Instead, it allowed the
contractors to source their own suppliers.
However, in May, as demand for the coal fly ash began to soar to
keep pace with the railway's construction schedule, fake products
found their way on to the market.
To the naked eye, the fake ash looks identical to the genuine
article, even to an experienced construction worker. Only
laboratory testing can tell the two apart.
(China Daily July 5, 2007)