Pudong District in Shanghai will have its first railway by 2005, allowing the area to connect with the west bank of the Huangpu River through railroad traffic, the Shanghai Railway Admin-istration said yesterday.

Construction for the 113-kilometer railway, jointly invested by the Ministry of Railways and the Shanghai government with 5 billion yuan (US$600 million), will possibly start as early as the end of this year.

"The railway in Pudong will offer a smooth cargo transport network for the Yangshan Deep-Water Port which could connect with the Pudong International Airport," said Yuan Jiaji, a spokesman for the railway administration, which oversees railway operations in Shanghai.

The railway, which is estimated to handle some 1 million TEUs' (twenty-foot equivalent units) freight after completion, will start in southern Jinshan District, pass through Caojing Chemical Industry Park in Jinshan, Luchao Harbor in Nanhui District, Pudong International Airport, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Hejiawan, and end in the northern Baoshan District.

Because the magnetic levitation line, connecting the Pudong airport and Longyang Road Metro station, is still under construction, the exact route planning for the airport section of the railway will be decided after further studies.

(eastday.com June 29, 2002)