Railway ministry a bloated outfit few will mourn
The mainland's scandal-plagued Ministry of Railways, an unreconstructed relic of the planned economy era, will soon become history. Few will mourn it. In the 63 years since it was founded, the ministry has been a regular target of criticism for poor service and corruption.
The mainland's scandal-plagued Ministry of Railways, an unreconstructed relic of the planned economy era, will soon become history.
Few will mourn it.
Since the market reforms of the 1980s, it was a prime target for those seeking to separate government from commercial operations but, until now, it had always been a survivor.
Modelled on its counterpart in the former Soviet Union, the ministry has roughly 2.5 million staff and operates its own schools and hospitals. Until last year it even had its own courts and police force.
In the previous round of ministerial restructuring in 2008, a transport ministry was created, merging the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the State Post Bureau. But the railways ministry remained separate and accumulated more power due to the rapid building of a 9,300-kilometre high-speed rail network - at a cost of trillions of yuan.