Land disputes delay high-speed railway construction

• Source: Global Times
• [00:30 July 31 2009]
• Comments

By Deng Jingyin

A bridge is constructed on the highspeed train link. Photo: Deng Jingyin

Construction on the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway has been dogged by issues over land claims and planned demolition of homes, according to the China Railway Engineering Corporation.

“We have been speeding up to make up the time lag, and currently progress is going better than expected,” Zhang Fengming, secretary of the Party Work Committee of Beijing Mega Bridge, told the Global Times.

The high-speed railway is planned to open for service before 2012 and tracks along the whole line will be ready before May 1, 2011, according to the Beijing- Shanghai High Speed Railway Corporation.

“The line is expected to be going through eight months of trials after May 2011. Hopefully, the railway will be put into operation around February 2012,” Zhang said.

“The progress of the line depends on the progress of different sections which are under construction separately at the same time. This means we are still not sure of the exact opening date,” he added.

The government has invested 2 billion yuan ($293 million) for compulsory land purchases and homes that stand in the way of the planned line route.

Most of the land and demolition has been completed but conflicts between residents and the government has slowed down progress.

“To be frank, part of this project has been delayed due to land disputes. Both parties cannot reach a consensus on compensation issues, and some villagers have refused to move from their homes or forgo their farmland,” Liang Yi, deputy general manager of the China Railway Engineering Corporation 17th Bureau, said at the construction site of Beijing Mega Bridge yesterday.

Several major bridges are being built along the route. The Tianjin Mega Bridge is the second-longest bridge on the line with a length of 113.69 km, second only to the Mega Bridge near Danyang, Jiangsu Province.

A bridge in Beijing extends from Fengtai South Road at the west Forth Ring Road to Langfang and it will only take 20 minutes from the city center to Langfang by train.

With a speed up to 380 km per hour, the rail service will shorten the travel time between Beijing and Shanghai from the current 10 hours to four hours.

Tickets will be set at about 500 yuan, subject to approval by the National Development and Reform Commission. Currently, passengers pay about 450 yuan for a seat, with the train running at a maximum speed of 250 km/h.