Work on the high-speed railway between Beijing and Shanghai appears to have been delayed as the original budget underestimated the cost of construction by more than 50 percent.

Originally expected to require an investment of 130 billion yuan (16.6 billion U.S. dollars) the Shanghai-Beijing Express Railway is now expected to cost 200 billion yuan (25.64 billion U.S. dollars). Construction was expected to begin in 2006 but the project has not yet received State Council approval.

The Ministry of Railways had planned to complete construction within five years and have high-speed trains running by 2010. The higher cost estimate means the project may need to be approved by the National People's Congress.

It was estimated the railway would cost 100 million yuan per kilometer, only a third of the cost of a similar railway built in the Republic of Korea. According to the ministry, trains on the Beijing-Shanghai Express Railway will reach speeds of 350 kilometers per hour, shortening the trip by nine hours to five hours.

Source:未知