Sun pointed out that since the "Eighth Five-year Plan", though rapid development has been made to the railway construction in the west region, the railway network in these areas is still small, technological level is low, the number of lines connected to the eastern regions and to other parts of the world is insufficient.

During the "10th Five-year Plan" period, China will invest about 100 billion yuan in the construction of 28 railways in the west area, accounting for 40 percent of the total investment in large and medium-sized capital construction projects nationwide. A total of 2,600-km-long new railways including 1,300-km-long double-track railways and 500-km-long electrified railways will be hopefully completed by 2005 and the railway network in China's west will be expanded to 18,000 km.

It's reported that the Ministry of Railways will focus on the following points during the "10th Five-year Plan" period, first, the construction of passageways linking the west with the east of China, including the double-track railways of Baoji-Lanzhou and Zhuzhou-Liupanshui, the Nanjing-Xi'an Railway and the Suining-Chongqing-Huaihua Railway; second, the construction of railway lines in the west region including Neijiang-Kunming Railway, the Shenmu-Yan'an Railway and the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. In addition, the reconstruction to existing railways will also be strengthened.

(People's Daily 12/26/2000)