China has successfully conducted an operational test on its first domestically developed, concrete-bed rail track, with high-speed trains in southwest China.

Test results showed the 13.16-kilometer line near Chongqing Municipality ensured the stability and comfort of trains at 232 km per hour, said a spokesman with track builder, the Chengdu Railway Bureau.

Construction on the concrete-bed rail began in September 2004 and was completed in December last year. Tests began on Jan. 3 and lasted eight days.

Concrete-bed tracks are widely used in Japan and Germany.

Unlike ordinary tracks based on stone metal, which need frequent maintenance, lines built on concrete foundations are more stable and require maintenance, say engineers, although the construction costs are slightly higher.

Scientists and engineers from the Ministry of Railways and Southwest Jiaotong University based in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, participated in the research of the rail.

China's railways are planning to raise speeds in April, when trains on major lines will run at 200 km per hour compared with the current 160 km per hour.

(Xinhua News Agency January 13, 2007)