Nation to invest more in rail network
By Mai Dou (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-07-03 11:18 "China needs to import key components for network construction, and many
foreign companies already have a strong presence in the Chinese market," Wu
says.
He forecasts a further boost for imports of rail network
facilities, as many domestic companies are actively seeking overseas partners
for technology transfers.
A number of global transport-equipment giants,
such as Siemens, Bombardier and Alstom, have drawn up long-term growth
strategies.
Siemens which has supplied rail facilities to cities
like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Nanjing signed a contract in April
with the railway ministry to supply and install signalling, communication and
power supply systems for the planned high-speed Beijing-Tianjin passenger line.
The 116-kilometre railway is designed for speeds of up to 350 kilometres
per hour, and will be ready before the Olympic Games in 2008.
China's
passenger trains run at average speeds of 120 to 160 kilometres per
hour.
"With this project, Siemens is even more confident of
supporting the development and modernization of Chinese railways. (The
company) will transfer highly-advanced, proven technology to China," says Klaus
Wucherer, member of the corporate executive committee of Munich-based Siemens
AG.
The German company is also confident it can win a deal to build a
160-kilometre, Shanghai-Hangzhou magnetic levitation train track, according to a
recent Reuters report.
The world's only maglev train in commercial
operation, which travels up to 430 kilometres an hour and links Shanghai's
airport and the city centre, was built by Siemens.
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