China will spend 127 billion yuan (US$15 billion) on railway construction in its western regions in five years, said Wang Linshu, general engineer of the Ministry of Railways.

Wang said Wednesday at a meeting on economic coordination in southwest China that about half of the investment will go to the southwest.

The Ministry of Railways will help the western regions to have 25,000 km of railways by the year 2005, with 11,400 km in the southwest, he said.

In the past ten years, the investment in railways in southwest China accounted for more than 30 percent of the national total in railway infrastructure construction.

By the end of last year, there were 10,000 km of railways in operation in the southwest, accounting for 15 percent of the nation's total.

The lengthen of electrified railways in southwest China now reaches 4,600 km, doubling the average level of the country.

( Eastday.com.cn 10/11/2001)