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China renovates railway to serve quake reconstruction

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-05-10 19:08

XI'AN -- China has begun renovating a railway that links Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province, and Baoji city of Shaanxi province to better serve reconstruction in earthquake-hit areas.

Xi'an Railway Bureau dispatched more than 5,000 workers and 150 large scale vehicles to renovate the Baoji-Chengdu railway starting May 9. The repair work, covering rail grinding and railroad switch replacing, is scheduled to last 50 days.

Full coverage:  Sichuan, One Year On... Related readings:  New schools in quake zone of Sichuan to be quake-proof  A memory dilemma in face of earthquake ruins  Life resumes normal after last May's earthquake  Elixir of life pours into earthquake village  Sichuan receives 15.75b yuan in quake donation

The Baoji-Chengdu route is a key north-south railway line in west China. It had been used as a major route for transporting relief goods to Sichuan after the May 12 earthquake last year.

The 8.0-magnitude earthquake damaged the southern section of the railway and caused collapse of No. 109 tunnel in Gansu Province on May 12. The collapse resulted in a blaze on a train carrying gasoline.

The tunnel was reopened to traffic 12 days later and a new tunnel was built to the north side of the old one five months later with steel-reinforced concrete. The new tunnel opened to traffic on November 12.