Cost of building high-speed rail in China one-third lower: WB

(ECNS) –By the end of 2013, China had built a high-speed rail network of over 10,000 route-km, which was accomplished at an incredible low cost, two-thirds of other countries, the World Bank said.

In a research paper titled "High-Speed Railways in China: A Look at Construction Costs," the World Bank said China's high-speed rail, with a maximum speed of 350 km/h, has a typical infrastructure unit cost of $17 million to $21 million per km, with a high ratio of viaducts and tunnels, while the cost in Europe is $25 million to $39 million, and $56 million estimated in California.

China usually lays tracks on viaducts to minimize resettlement and adopts the use of fertile land as well as reduce environmental impacts. The estimated cost of viaducts in China ranges from 57 million yuan to 73 million yuan ($9 million to $11 million) per km for a double track line.

Gerald Ollivier, a World Bank senior transport specialist and co-author of the paper, said besides the lower labor cost, one possible reason for this is the large scale of the planned high-speed railway network in the country.

"This has allowed the standardization of the design of various construction elements, the development of innovative and competitive capacity for manufacturing equipment, and the amortization of the capital cost of construction equipment over a number of projects," Ollivier added.

The World Bank has provided loans for six high-speed railway projects, with speeds of 200-350 km/h.