Chinese officials on Thursday denied media reports that construction of an intercity railway network in the Yangtze River Delta would begin this year, saying the work would start during the 2006-2010 period.

"What is reported is inaccurate, and what we can say for sure is the work will start during the 2006-2010 period," said an official with the Shanghai Railway Administration, who declined to be named.

Preparations have been completed for the construction of the Shanghai-Nanjing route, which composes the main structure of the regional railway network together with the Shanghai-Hangzhou route, said the official.

"We are ready to start the work on the Shanghai-Nanjing project in the first quarter of this year. But we have to wait for the approval of the central government," he said.

For the Shanghai-Hangzhou route, decision is yet to be made whether maglev trains will be chosen, he added.

The planned railways, with a total length of 455 kilometers, are expected to give a big impetus to economic and social development in the dynamic Yangtze River Delta in east China.

(Xinhua News Agency January 12, 2006)