Shuozhou-Huanghua railway to expand capacity

THE railway connecting inland China's major coal production base of Shanxi province's city of Shuozhou to northeast China's port of Huanghua is to undergo capacity expansion, Xinhua reported.

The project will cost CNY12.5 billion (US$1.7 billion) and is divided into two phases each of which is scheduled to last two years.

The first phase project will raise the railway's capacity to 230 million tons, allowing 10,000-ton trains to travel on it, bringing its annual cargo transport volume up to 225.7 million tons.

After the second phase is finished, the capacity will rise higher to 360 million tons. The 600-kilometre-long Shuozhou-Huanghua railway mostly moves coal and is connected to another line that links up to Tianjin.