China could help build high-speed rail between Sweden and Norway
27 January 2018
- A Chinese delegation travelled to Oslo around two weeks ago to discuss the potential project, reports Sveriges Radio Ekot. “We have discussed how China can, potentially, assist with financing and with expansion capacity and competencies,” Alf S Johansen of the Värmland-Østfold Border Committee, which is coordinating the project, told Ekot. One of the potential projects involves rebuilding and refining existing rail lines at a cost of over 50 billion kronor (5.1 billion euros). A second possibility would see an entirely new high-speed railway built at a cost of around 170 billion kronor (17.3 billion euros).
https://www.thelocal.no/20180127/china-could-help-build-high-speed-rail-between-sweden-and-norway
High-speed rail network to cover 80% of major cities in China by 2020
Jan 02, 2018
- China’s high-speed rail network will cover 80 percent of the country’s major cities by 2020. The total length of track capable of supporting high-speed trains will reach 38,000 kilometres by 2025 and 45,000 kilometres by 2030, according to Chinese news outlet China News. China currently has 124,000 kilometres of railway and 22,000 kilometres of high-speed rail lines, while the latter has transported over seven billion passengers and accounts for 66.3 percent of the total railway lines of the world, according to Lu Dongfu, manager of the national railway operator China Railway Corporation.
https://gbtimes.com/high-speed-rail-network-to-cover-80-of-major-cities-in-china-by-2020
Railway Diplomacy: How ‘China is Building Routes in All Possible Directions
29.12.2017
- Beijing has stepped up its “railway diplomacy” by boosting its infrastructural projects simultaneously on three continents. Speaking to Sputnik, analysts highlighted China’s competitive advantages and shed light on the obstacles the People’s Republic is facing while implementing its initiatives. In Asia, China is carrying out a number of initiatives which include the modernization of the Karachi Circular Railway in Pakistan, the construction of a railway from Shigatse in Tibet to the Nepali capital Kathmandu and the Bangkok — Nong-Khai project. On May 30, 2017 the Mombasa-Nairobi standard gauge railway was launched in Kenya, after the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway became operational in October 2016. Observers compare the importance of the East Africa regional railway network created with China’s assistance to the role of the Suez Canal for Africa and the Middle East. The project is regarded as a game changer that could help boost political integration in the region. For Kenya, it has become the largest project since the country gained independence in 1964.While Panama is seeking to link its railways with the Costa Rica network, Grenada is considering the construction of a circular railway on the main island. Earlier, the lack of transparency in the 2014 tender forced Mexico to terminate a $3.75 billion contract with China to build a high-speed railway between Mexico City and Queretaro. However, the Chinese did not give up and shifted their focus on the modernization of railways in Argentina. After that, the Chinese concentrated on the building of a railway linking the Atlantic coast of Brazil with a port on the Pacific coast of Peru. The road from the port of Santos to the port of Ilo will extend 3,500 km (2174 miles) and will cost $15 — 21 billion according to some estimates.
https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201712291060418377-china-railway-diplomacy/
Four Chinese companies to construct Col-Ratnapura E’way – Ministry
22 Dec 2017
- aily Mirror reported that the government has approved to hand over the construction of four phases of the Colombo-Ratnapura Expressway (73.9Km) to four Chinese companies, the Highways Ministry said. The ministry is planning to complete the construction of the expressway within three years. Accordingly, Section One of 26.30 km stretch from Kahathuduwa to Ingiriya would be handled by the China National Technical Import and Export Corporation (CNTIC). Section Two of 21km stretch from Ingiriya to Kahengama would be given to the China National Aero-Technology International Engineering Corporation (CATIC-ENG). The Hunan Construction Engineering Group Corporation (HCEGC) for Section Three from Kahangama to Bela covering a stretch of 12.70 kms.
China, Thailand inaugurate construction of Thailand’s 1st high-speed railway
2017-12-21
- Thailand and China jointly inaugurated the construction of Thailand’s first high-speed railway from Bangkok to northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima on Thursday. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said in a congratulatory letter that the China-Thailand high-speed railway is a flagship project in jointly realizing the Belt and Road Initiative in the spirit of “wide consultation, joint construction and shared benefits.” The 253-km first phase of the railway links Bangkok with Nakhon Ratchasima province. China is responsible for design of the railway, supervision of construction and manufacturing of trains and signal systems among others. Once completed, the railway with a maximum speed of 250 km per hour will be the first high-speed railway of Thailand. The planned second phase of the project will link Nakhon Ratchasima with Nong Khai on the border with Laos, which connects with the China-Laos railway in an artery railway linking Thailand, Laos and China.
Wi-Fi to cover whole high-speed rail network
2017-12-18
- Wi-Fi is going to be available on all high-speed trains in the future, said Huang Min, the deputy-general manager of China Railway Corporation, the country’s railway operator, on Sunday. Free Wi-Fi access is already available on the Shanghai-Beijing line on which the country’s new-generation bullet trains Fuxing run. Wi-Fi services on high-speed trains are rather different from what is used at homes and offices. The stability of the internet speed in tunnels and mountainous areas is a major obstacle to overcome in improving Wi-Fi services on high-speed trains.
Freight service to Europe gains momentum in 2017
December 15, 2017
- A China Railway Express train hauling cargo en route to Europe leaves the Zhengzhou Railway Station’s cargo center in early August. China-Europe freight service this year has made more trips than all previous years since the service began in 2011. The freight service linking China and Eurasia, China Railway Express, is seen as a critical to boost trade and economic ties. National rail operator China Railway Corp’s latest figures show there had been 6,000 freight train trips to or from China and Europe by October, and more than 3,000 of those were in 2017. This is more than the total number of trips in all the previous years of service since its 2011 launch.
Serbia Starts Construction of Chinese-funded Railway to Budapest
November 28, 2017
- Serbia began work on a China-funded railway line on Tuesday to try to improve the Balkan country’s infrastructure, an effort also expected to strengthen Beijing’s influence in Europe. In May Serbia borrowed $297.6 million from China’s Exim Bank to modernize a stretch of the railway line between Belgrade and the Hungarian capital of Budapest. Beijing sees Serbia, an EU membership candidate and Hungary, an EU member, as part of its One Belt, One Road initiative, intended to open new foreign trade links for Chinese firms.
https://www.voanews.com/a/serbia-starts-construction-chinese-funded-railway-budapest/4140709.html
China invests in more than 20 overseas railway projects
Nov 22, 2017
- Chinese companies are currently carrying out more than 20 railway projects overseas, amounting to a total investment of 100bn yuan (US$15bn), reports Xinhua. Zhu Zhexun, chief engineer of China Railway International Group, said at the 2017 Shanghai International Forum on Railway and Urban Rail Transit Innovation on Tuesday that among the overseas projects, some, like the China-Laos railway and the Hungarian-Serbian railway, are under construction, while others are in their early stages, including the Malaysia-Singapore and Moscow-Kazan high-speed routes.
https://gbtimes.com/china-invests-in-more-than-20-overseas-railway-projects
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