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China's high-speed railways suffered 168 glitches in July, according to a Ministry of Railways report.

The report, issued by the ministry's transport bureau, said 106 of the 168 problems that occurred during the month stemmed from quality problems with the rolling stock, 21st Century Business Herald reported on Friday.

High-speed trains built by China North Locomotive and Rolling Stock Corp Ltd (CNR), one of the nation's two largest train makers, were found to have the most problems. The report said 56 malfunctions occurred in trains manufactured by CNR's Changchun unit and there were 30 problems with the locomotives manufactured by the company's Tangshan unit.

Other major bullet train builders, such as a Qingdao unit of China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock Corp (CSR) and the joint venture Bombardier Sifang Power (Qingdao) Transportation Ltd, also had problems with their products.

The report was an internal notice that circulated to local railway authorities and the nation's train makers, urging the companies to conduct a thorough overhaul of their products, the paper reported.

China's fast-expanding high-speed railways have suffered a variety of problems.

Last month CNR recalled 54 high-speed trains used on the Beijing-Shanghai line over safety concerns.

Tan Xiaofeng, a spokesman for the corporation, said the recall of the CRH 380BL trains was due to "small problems with components" and was partly attributable to substandard products provided by suppliers.

But Zhang Lei, an engineer with CNR's Tangshan unit, told 21st Century Business Herald that suspected cracks had been detected in the train axles, which could cause an accident. However, CNR publicity officers have refuted such claims.

On Sunday, the Ministry of Railways said China's railway system has transported approximately 1.27 billion passengers during the first eight months of this year, up 11.8 percent from a year earlier.

China's high-speed railways are still recovering from the aftermath of the July 23 Wenzhou tragedy when a high-speed train collided with another that was stalled on a viaduct after a lightning strike in East China's Zhejiang province. Forty passengers died and nearly 200 were injured.

China's high-speed trains have been required to run at slower speeds after a nationwide adjustment of train schedules, effective last month, for safety reasons.

Questions:

1. Of the 168 reported malfunctions, how many were a result of quality problems with rolling stock?

2. How many trains did CNR recall last month over safety concerns?

3. For safety reasons, what nationwide effort has been made in regards to high-speed train operation?

Answers:

1. 106 problems concerned rolling stock quality.

2. 54 high-speed trains on the Beijing-Shanghai line were recalled.

3. China’s high-speed trains are required to run at slower speeds now.

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

?Christine Mallari is an intern at China Daily. She was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in a nearby suburb before moving for college. After recently graduating from the University of Iowa with a degree in English, Journalism and Mass Communications, she moved to Beijing to work with China Daily. Though she has been working in journalism since high school, this is her first time doing so abroad.