BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhuanet) -- Beijing railway authority said here Tuesday that it has finished the renovation of the Beijing-Shanghai railway and got ready for next year's speed raise.

    Sources from the No. 6 Bureau of the China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC) that the tacks of 200-kilometer Beijing section of the Beijing-Shanghai railway has all been replaced by Tuesday morning, increasing the speed to 200 kilometers per hour from 160 kilometers per hour.

    China plans to launch its sixth speed-raise in national railways in 2006, a marked step to increase its transport capacityin the railway sector.

    Renovation of the 1462-km Beijing-Shanghai railway, one of the busiest in China, was started in May this year, with most switches and tracks replaced to meet the demand for accelerated speed trains.

    The CREC said the new round speed raise next year will shorten the trip from Beijing to Shanghai from the current 13.5 hours to 7 hours. Enditem