China's first 1,500 tons of rails that can accommodate trains traveling at 350 kilometers per hour rolled off the mill and have passed quality appraisal, experts said Saturday.

The rails, produced in the Panzhihua Iron and Steel Co., a major steel production base in Sichuan Province, southwest China, are each 100 meters long and weigh 60 kilograms per meter, will soon be transported to Xi'an in neighboring Shaanxi Province for the construction of a test fast train section, said experts with China's rail science research institutes, which conducted the quality test.

With China's rapid economic and social development, railway construction will enter of period of boom between now and 2020, when the total length of railways in operation across the country is expected to extend from 73,000 kilometers to 100,000 kilometers.

The Chinese-made rails for fast trains will help boost the construction of 11 high-speed passenger rail lines, according industry insiders.

"The production of the rail will also enhance our company's competitive capacity with foreign companies," said a company executive, but he did not disclose the annual production capacity of the rail.

(Xinhua News Agency December 24, 2005)