Chinese officials hope to greatly reduce the cost of each kilometer of track before work begins on a maglev line linking Shanghai to Hangzhou.

No timetable has been set for construction on the new maglev train line, Zhang Xiaoqiang, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, said in Shanghai yesterday.

It is reported early that construction of the new line was expected to start at the end of this year. Zhang said authorities should conduct a careful feasibility study before work begins.

He said officials want to cut the price of the line to 200 million yuan (US$24.95 million) per kilometer.

The city's current maglev line, which links Pudong International Airport and the Longyang Road subway station, cost 310 million yuan per kilometer to build.

The city's current line, the world's first commercially operational maglev, passed the state inspection yesterday.

About 4.23 million passengers have taken the maglev since it opened two years ago.

(Shanghai Daily April 27, 2006)