The Ministry of Environmental Protection halted construction on the Tianjin-Qinhuangdao high-speed railway and suspended operations on the existing Qingdao-Jinan high-speed railway?yesterday over concerns about the environment, Caing.com reports.

Ministry officials said the construction of the Tianjin-Qinhuangdao line deviated from its originally planned course in several locations but the project contractor did not report it to the authorities for review and evaluation of its impact on the environment. They also said the Qingdao-Jinan line was not reviewed by the department before starting operations.