Operating speeds have been lowered and the number of trains reduced on some of the mainland's high-speed railway lines in response to mounting safety concerns following the fatal crash in Wenzhou late last month.
Three high-speed lines - Beijing-Tianjin, Guangzhou-Zhuhai and the Hainan Eastern Ring Railway - lowered speeds by 50km/h, while the new Beijing-Shanghai line cut its number of daily trips by a quarter.
Vice-Premier Zhang Dejiang spoke publicly about the crash for the first time since the search and rescue operation was called off on July 24, the day after the crash.
Zhang said a month-long inspection ordered by the State Council was 'a pressing need to boost the government's credibility and the public's satisfaction' following Wenzhou.
The State Council decided last week that the safety checks were needed on all railways operating at speeds of over 200km/h. Two major high-speed train manufacturers, China CNR Corporation and China CSR Corporation, and the China Railway Signal & Communication Corporation, are part of the inspection.
Business traveller Wang Jin, who regularly travels between Tianjin and Beijing, noticed the changes to the service but did not think they would make much difference.
'If the adjustment is to reduce safety hazards, three minutes slower won't make it safer,' he said.
