Firms punished for cutting corners on Chinese high-speed rail line
Contractors cut corners building track on the Shanghai to Kunming line, compromising safety, rail authority says
China’s national railway operator has punished contractors for poor quality construction work on a stretch of high-speed line in southwest China.
China Railway Corporation said in a statement published on social media that it had found evidence of poor quality work on the Guizhou province section of the Shanghai to Kunming line.
The corporation said it had launched an investigation after a series of quality issues were discovered in June and July.
No details were given of the problems, but a tunnel in Guizhou was flooded on June 30, forcing the authorities to suspend train services for three days.
The problems had “undermined train operation safety, interrupted transportation and impaired efficiency and effectiveness”, the statement added.