Railway investment to top 700b yuan in 2011

%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3EChina%27s%20Ministry%20of%20Railways%20announced%20on%20Friday%20that%20its%20total%20investment%20this%20year%20will%20reach%20745.5%20billion%20yuan%20%28%24115%20billion%29%2C%20with%20600%20billion%20yuan%20going%20toward%20infrastructure%20construction%2C%20according%20to%20ministry%20spokesperson%20Wang%20Yongping.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3EThe%20official%20statement%20follows%20media%20reports%20saying%20the%20ministry%20could%20scale%20back%20investments%20by%20as%20much%20as%20200%20billion%20yuan%20this%20year%20as%20the%20rapid%20expansion%20of%20the%20country%27s%20high-speed%20rails%20leads%20to%20debt%20concerns.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3EWang%20said%20the%20arrangement%20was%20a%20proper%20one%20because%20it%20reflects%20the%20continuity%20of%20railway%20construction%2C%20and%20meets%20the%20capital%20demands%20of%20projects%20under%20construction.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3EHe%20said%20that%20during%20the%20country%27s%2012th%20Five-Year%20Plan%20Period%20%282011-2015%29%2C%20the%20ministry%20will%20proceed%20with%20railway%20construction%20in%20accordance%20with%20the%20country%27s%20economic%20and%20social%20development%20and%20the%20public%27s%20satisfaction%2C%20adding%20that%20investments%20during%20the%20period%20will%20hit%202.8%20trillion%20yuan.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3EWang%20said%20China%27s%20high-speed%20rail%20tracks%20will%20expand%20to%2045%2C000%20km%20by%202015.%20Railways%20in%20the%20country%27s%20western%20regions%20will%20be%20extended%20to%2050%2C000%20km.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E