New railway construction is on track for this year

Premier encourages SOEs to open funding to market participants

Premier Li Keqiang asked State-owned enterprises, especially those in monopolistic industries, to open up their businesses to the market as he visited the country's sole rail corporation on Friday.

The premier praised the rail system's reform as "smooth and stable" following its dismantlement in March 2013 - the most important part of administrative restructuring under the current leadership - to separate the now-defunct ministry of railways' government from its enterprise functions.