Country presses the accelerator on rail development

Rewards netted

International cooperation between China and other countries on railways has not only borne fruit in Asia, but also in Europe.

March 19 marked the first anniversary of the opening of the Belgrade-Novi Sad section of the Serbia-Hungary Railway, the first high-speed railway in Serbia and also a landmark Belt and Road Initiative project in Europe.

The 80-km line, which has a designated top speed of 200 km/h, has cut travel time between the two cities from 90 minutes to about 30 minutes, significantly boosting social and economic development in the region.

Marko Jeremic, head of infrastructure at Serbian Railways, said, "The collaboration with Chinese companies made it possible for us to become the leader in the western Balkans, with the introduction of the high-speed line.

"We became the leader because no other neighboring countries — Croatia, Hungary and Bulgaria — have high-speed lines operating at more than 160 kilometers per hour."

Ju said successful overseas projects have shown that China has an advanced high-speed railway system and leads railway development in some areas of the world.

Zhao Xianghong, deputy director of the Science, Technology and Information Research Institute at the China Academy of Railway Sciences, said, "China is a world leader in some aspects of high-speed railway development."

China State Railway Group said the nation now boasts trains running at the highest commercial speeds, and the greatest variety of operational scenarios, transforming it from a follower of high-speed rail development to a true leader in technologies.

Xinhua contributed to this story.