Under-fire Minister of Railways Sheng Guangzu has pledged to ensure 'absolute safety' on the mainland's rail network in the wake of the bullet train collision on July 23 that claimed 40 lives.
The promise came as the beleaguered ministry faced fresh problems yesterday, amid further delays and news of striking train drivers.
'The bloody lesson of the July 23 accident has been that safe operation of the railways is related to the safety of the public's lives and property, related to the development of railway enterprises and related to the nation's reputation,' Sheng said. '[The duty of] ensuring safety is as great as the sky, the responsibility as heavy as Mount Tai.'
Sheng was addressing a meeting with the ministry's Communist Party secretary on Tuesday, but his comments were only released in a statement yesterday.
Sheng, who took over a ministry beset with corruption scandals and mounting debts in February, has been facing calls to stand down since last month's collision in Wenzhou , Zhejiang province .
The accident occurred when a high-speed train from Beijing to Fuzhou, in Fujian, ran into the back of a slow-moving or stalled train while on a viaduct.
Four carriages were pushed off the bridge, while the rearmost carriage of the train in front was crushed.