China International Symposium and Exhibition on High Speed Railway TunnelsAccording to statistics, 7,504 railway tunnels - with a total length of 4,305 km - were already in operation in China at the end of 2005. More than 1,000 km of high speed railway tunnels are under construction or to be built in the coming years. To get a unique insight into such heavy construction of HSR tunnels, the China International Symposium and Exhibition on High Speed Railway Tunnels will be held in Beijing from 20th to 21st November, 2006. Mid- to long-term railway network planning was approved by China through careful consideration and discussion in early 2004. The main idea of the planning is to expand the railway network in size, develop its structure and improve its quality so as to increase its capacity and speed. By 2020, the total mileage of railway lines in operation nationwide should reach 100,000 km, passenger and freight transport should be separated at least in major busy trunk lines, and fast intercity passenger transport service shall be established to connect provincial capitals and medium and large cities. It is expected to build more than 12,000 km of passenger dedicated railway lines travelling at a speed of 200 km/h and more. Both the ratio of double-track railway lines and the rate of electrification should be increased to 50%. The transport capacity of the railway network should be in line with the social and economical development of China.Large-scale projects includes four north-south passenger lines: the Beijing-Shanghai line, running through Beijing-Tianjin to developed areas in the eastern coastal region of the Yangtze delta (1,300 km); the Beijing-Wuhan-Guangzhou-Shenzhen line, connecting east and south China (2,230 km); the Beijing-Shenyang-Harbin (Dalian) line, connecting northeast China and the area inside of Shanhaiguan (1,860 km); and the Hangzhou-Ningbo-Fuzhou-Shenzhen line, connecting the Yangtze delta, the Zhujiang River delta and southeast coastal China (1,600 km).Four east-west passenger line are also planned: the Xuzhou-Zhenzhou-Lanzhou line, connecting northwest and east China (1,400 km); the Hangzhou-Nanchang-Changsha line, connecting central and east China; the Qingdao-Shijiazhang-Taiyuan line, connecting north and east China (770 km); and the Nanjing-Wuhan-Chongqing-Chengdu line, connecting southwest and east China (1,900 km).Three intercity passenger transport systems are also envisaged in the areas around Bohai, the Yangtze Delta, and the Pearl River Delta, covering major cities in these areas with a total length of about 2,000 km.Upgrading of the existing network is also needed to promote traffic capacity on the existing lines. It is planned to build 13,000 km of secondary lines and to electrify 16,000 km of existing lines. Tunnels to be built on passenger lines will exceed 1,000 km in total. And tunnels in other railway lines shared by passengers and freight will be more than 2,500 km in length. The organisers of the China International Symposium and Exhibition on High Speed Railway Tunnelsare the Ministry of Railways, through the Centre for Project Design Appraisal, the International Cooperation Department, and the Project Management Centre; the Third Railway Survey and Design Institute; and the Southwest Research Institute of China Railway Engineering. Contact Prof. Ms Jinxiu (Jenny) Yan, Southwest Research Institute of China Railway Engineering, Xi Yuecheng Street, 118 Chengdu, Sichuan. Tel. +86 2886271767, fax +86 2886649131, e-mail jennyyan@vip.163.com 42/06.