Balanced railway network needed

Establishing a high-speed railway network across the main cities is good for development. But the authorities should also improve the railway network in undeveloped areas to guarantee social fairness, says an article in Guangming Daily. Excerpt:

The railway authorities plan to set up a high-speed railway network of 13,000 km across the country's main cities to establish a circular transport system with its center in Beijing.

The railways play a more important role in the country's development, especially in the central and western areas, as industrialization and urbanization intensify. But the floating population in developing areas is increasing and it demands high-speed and safe railway transportation, too.

Since the authorities' plan to upgrade the railway network does not include small cities, people feel they are ignoring the remote areas, which are difficult to reach by train.

Traveling from Hancheng, Shanxi province, to Beijing, Train No 1164 jumped the rails while it was passing through Yesanpo in Hebei province on April 4. The railway section where the accident took place was built in the 1970s and the train that jumped the rails was too old to be in service. Besides, it takes more than three hours to reach Beijing from Yesanpo, which is only about 100 km away, and the accident highlights the huge gap between railway networks serving the main cities and small towns.

As a public utility service, the railways should meet the demands of all the people instead of catering only to high-end travelers, and both central and local authorities have to pay more attention to transportation in undeveloped areas, for it is necessary for social fairness.

(China Daily 09/18/2009 page9)