IBRD Loan: US$300 million
TERMS: Maturity =20 Years; Grace Period = 5 Years
Program Description: This project aims to help construct a new 355 km dedicated high-speed passenger rail line between Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province and Zhengzhou in Henan Province. This is part of the new 2,100 km Beijing-Guangzhou dedicated high-speed passenger line which, when completed in 2010, is expected to provide a major boost in rail transport capacity while also reducing the travel time for passengers from the present 24 hours to less than 10 hours. This is the first high-speed passenger railway supported by the World Bank since the new Tokaido line (Tokyo to Osaka) was completed in 1964, the first link of the Shinkansen bullet train in Japan.
