Crash probe report slams railway ministry

An investigation report into the deadly bullet train crash in Zhejiang Province in July was released to the public Wednesday, with the Ministry of Railways (MOR) bearing the guilt of lax safety standards and poor handling of the accident.

The 66-page report, composed by a probe team under the authority of the State Council, said the crash was caused by flaws in the train operation control system and an inadequate emergency response by railway authorities.

The report was presented to Premier Wen Jiabao Wednesday at a State Council meeting, where officials agreed that a total of 54 people, held accountable for the fatal crash, will receive disciplinary punishment.

"Legal authorities are currently conducting an independent investigation into whether or not these responsible officials committed crimes," the report said.

Those under scrutiny include Liu Zhijun, former railway minister, and Zhang Shuguang, the MOR's former deputy chief engineer. Both of them were sacked earlier this year for an alleged "severe violation of discipline."

Liu "has the main responsibility for the accident" as he "arbitrarily raised the speed of the Yongwen high-speed service to 250 kilometers per hour (kpm) from its designed 200 kpm. He sped up construction time without considering safety and failed to adopt a new signaling system for the service," the report said.

Ma Pin, former general manager of China Railway Signal & Communication Corp, which provided the signal system, was found to have negligently managed the project. Ma died of illness in August.

The MOR "did not properly handle rescue efforts, did not issue information in a timely manner and did not correctly address public concerns," the central government said.

At a tele-conference held within the MOR, Minister Sheng Guangzhu said Wednesday the July crash reflected loopholes in the management of the Shanghai Railway Bureau, and the whole industry's lack of emphasis on safety.

Jiang, a woman from Shandong Province whose daughter and son-in-law were injured in the accident, told the Global Times that she was unaware the investigation report had been released.

"I really hope the government can draw a lesson from this accident and strengthen the management of railways in the future to avoid such tragedies," said Jiang, adding that her family is still waiting to be compensated.

Zhu Lijia, a professor of public management at the Chinese Academy of Governance, said that punishment being meted out to those responsible is a step forward.

"A thorough investigation into the accident suggests a responsible attitude. This could help the public regain confidence in the railway services," he said, adding that the MOR needs to improve anti-corruption efforts among its management staff.

A long-term monitoring system as well as better laws governing the railway industry need to be established to oversee the whole process from public bidding to project management to root out corruption, Zhu said, calling for reforms of the State-owned system.

The accident happened near the booming coastal city of Wenzhou, when one high-speed train rammed into another that was stranded after being hit by lightning.

A total of 40 people were killed and economic losses of more than 193.71 million yuan ($30.65 million) resulted from the accident, the investigation report said.

In an attempt to repair its image, the MOR has announced a series of improvements, including making it easier to buy train tickets and offering better food on its services.

China plans to invest 400 billion yuan in railway infrastructure construction next year, slightly down from the 469 billion yuan spent this year, the MOR said Friday.

This is the first time authorities have rolled out a clear guideline for future railway development. Railway construction has been almost halted this year as the government slammed the brakes on high-speed rail lines after the July crash.

The MOR also faces soaring debt. In August, its total liabilities in June amounted to 2.1 trillion yuan, up by nearly half from the end of 2009 and bringing its liability-to-asset ratio up to 59 percent.

However, analysts suggested that railway development will still figure prominently in the future, given the huge flow of migrant workers and fast economic growth.

A new high-speed railway linking Guangzhou and Shenzhen went into service Monday. The MOR plans to extend the route to Hong Kong by 2015 as part of the Beijing-Hong Kong high-speed line.

China South Locomotive & Rolling Stock also revealed a prototype train over the week capable of reaching speeds up to 500 kph.

China's railway system is expected to carry 2.02 billion passengers and 4.16 billion tons of goods in 2012, up 9.1 percent and 6.4 percent respectively year-on-year, according to Sheng Guangzu.

Yang Jinghao and agencies contributed to this story