The long delayed railway from Guangzhou to Zhuhai will be restarted soon when
invitations open for domestic and overseas investors.
The project was approved in 1993 and construction began in 1997. However, it
was suspended shortly after because of funding problems and other reasons,
dayoo.com, the Web site of Guangzhou Daily, reported Sunday.
The railway, originally scheduled to open in 2001, is expected to end the era
when there was no railway connecting the west bank of the Pearl River Delta to
other parts of China.
Four years and an estimated investment of 8.3 billion yuan (US$1 billion)
will be spent on the work.
The 140-kilometer main line will pass Foshan and Jiangmen and a 33.8km branch
will run from Zhuhai North Railway Station to Zhuhai West Railway Station.
The main underground construction will eventually include double tracks.
Diesel locomotives will be used until an electric service is built.
Last spring, some delegates of the National People's Congress from Zhuhai and
Zhongshan called for trains from Beijng to reach Macao, which neighbors Zhuhai,
raising discussions on restarting the railway.
In January this year, proposals to continue the work were submitted to the
annual meeting of the provincial people's congress. The plan to restart the
project was later included in the Zhuhai government's work report to the
municipal people's congress for the first time since 1998.
Investment invitations are now being prepared.
In another development, the construction of a 53-kilometer expressway from
Jiangmen to Zhuhai will begin in August.
Editor: James
By:Lan Xiaoke Source:szdaily