China on Saturday began construction of a rail road which will
run across northeast China and eastern Mongolia and eventually lead
to Russia.
The railway, dubbed an "energy line", would carry coal from
north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and
neighboring Mongolia, and the growing the rising number of trade
items between the two countries.
The project is planned to undergo three phases of
construction.
The first phase involves a 487-km section from Xinqiu, Fuxin
City, of northeast China's Liaoning Province, to Bayan Ul in
northern Inner Mongolia, said Wang Chuncheng, chairman of Liaoning
Chuncheng Industry and Trade Group and a major investor of the
first phase of the project.
At a cost of nearly 5.9 billion yuan (US$790 million), the
first-phase construction was expected to be completed in 2010.
The Xinqiu-Bayan Ul railway, the longest of the three sections,
would have an annual handling capacity of 12 million tons within
three to five years. This would increase to 25 million tons in five
to ten years and 35 million tons in ten to 15 years, said Wang.
"After this section becomes operational, a large amount of coal
in Inner Mongolia can be transported to Liaoning, which is in great
need of coal under the country's drive to rejuvenate northeast
China's old industrial base," said Pan Liguo, mayor of Fuxin City,
adding that the province would face a shortage of 116 million tons
of coal by 2010.
Inner Mongolia is famous for coal resources. In Xi Ujimqin
Banner alone, where Bayan Ul is located, a total of 20 billion tons
of coal has been discovered in three basins.
"But the current road transport can only handle one million tons
of coal a year, which is far from the annual coal output," said
Wang Chuncheng.
"More coal will be mined and taken out of Inner Mongolia with
the support of funds and mining technologies from Liaoning
Province," Pan said.
The second phase of construction would lead the railway from
Bayan Ul northward to Zhuengadabuqi Port, on the border of
Mongolia, about 230 km long. The third section would stretch
northward to Choibalsan City, Mongolia, where it would join the
railway to Russia's Borzya, said Pan.
He said the blueprint for the second and the third phases was
yet to be worked out, but the main investors have been
confirmed.
When completed, the railway would be connected to the line
leading to Jinzhou Port, in Liaoning, providing inland Mongolia a
convenient sea access and cutting almost 1,000 km from the present
route by way of Inner Mongolia's Erenhot Port and the northern
Tianjin Port.
"The railway, connecting Mongolia's inland port with China's sea
port, will contribute to fluid transportation of China's
merchandise and agricultural products to Mongolia. It will also
provide Mongolia more convenient shipment of its abundant coal and
other resources by sea," said Lu Chao, researcher of the institute
for borderland history and geography studies at Liaoning Academy of
Social Sciences.
(Xinhua News Agency November 11, 2007)