August 02, 2013
Translated by Luo Shuqi
The proposed Beijing-Shenyang high-speed railway (京沈高铁), which was delayed due to controversy over its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), will no longer build the controversial origin stop at Beijing Station (北京站).
Under the revised plan, the train line will start from Xinghuo Station (星火站) and go through Hebei to Shenyang, Liaoning Province. There will be no railway construction between Beijing Station and Xinghuo Station.
This plan won’t be finalized until it gets official approval from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).
Environmental Assessment
The original Beijing-Shenyang high-speed railway plan was approved by the NDRC in February of 2009. The design institute in charge of the planned route has so far conducted three environmental impact assessments, all of which prompted local petitions.
The latest assessment was released on Nov 19, 2012 on the official website of the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
Twenty days after its publication, citizens from several nearby residential areas assembled to demand the railway change its route. They argued that the noise and electromagnetic radiation from the line would adversely affect their health and living standards.
They also estimated that there are as many as 34 communities and 100,000 people surrounding the route from Beijing Station to Xinghuo Station, with the nearest homes only 20 meters away from where the proposed track would be.
Beijing Authorities Offered the Change
A source from China Railway Corporation said that the new plan was submitted by Beijing authorities and that a hearing involving local residents and a press conference will be held next week.
In terms of why the change to the route was made, a staffer at the Beijing division of China Railway Corporation said that it wasn’t feasible to set the origin stop at Beijing Station since its capacity, signaling system and tracks are unable to accommodate the demands of a high-speed rail line.
Links & Sources
Beijing Youth: 京沈高铁“改线” 星火站变始发
Beijing News: 京沈高铁或改为星火站始发
Economic Observer Online: Residents Petition High-speed Rail Plan
