Residents angry over Beijing rail link

People in Beijing living near the route of a high-speed railway line have rejected a revised construction plan that shortens the route, saying they still don't know enough about how the project will affect their environment.

They want a new survey conducted on the impact of the link, which is part of the 700 kilometre railway under construction between the capital and Shenyang in Liaoning province.

The new plan shortens the link by at least a dozen kilometres and allows it to pass through fewer densely populated residential areas, according to the state-owned company responsible for the design, the Third Railway Survey and Design Institute Group Corporation.

It will end at the Xinhua Railway Station, in a suburban area on the East Fifth Ring Road, instead of the Beijing Railway Station in the city centre.

The company has unveiled six measures aimed at alleviating residents' concerns, including the construction of sound-proof shields around the terminal.

But many are still unhappy with the project. Up to 200 representatives from estates that sit along the planned route staged a protest yesterday outside the Ministry of Environmental Protection.