The Ministry of Railways is expected to announce a new railway operation timetable Wednesday and the existing timetable released last year will be largely updated.

Monday's China Daily said that the average speed of passenger trains to and from Beijing will reach 75 kilometers an hour, up significantly from the 48 kilometers an hour in 1997, China Daily revealed.

Along the artery railways linking Beijing and Shanghai, Guangzhou in south China's Guangdong Province and Harbin in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, trains will be able to operate at up to 160 kilometers an hour.

Major railways in northwest and southwest China will be able to run at up to 140 kilometers an hour after the speed-up.

Cargo trains will be upgraded to 51 kilometers an hour from 30 kilometers an hour, according to China Daily.

The total length of fast-speed railways will increase to 6,700 kilometers and the number is expected to reach 10,000 kilometers by the end of 2003, ministry sources said.

(Xinhua 10/15/2001)