China has sacked three senior railway officials in an effort to head off public anger following a high-speed rail crash that left at least 39 people dead and more than 200 injured.
The government also halted the operation of 58 trains and called for an emergency nationwide safety check, after two Chinese bullet trains collided in the eastern province of Zhejiang on Saturday. The fatal collision was the first serious accident involving China’s bullet trains, which began running in 2007. China is in the process of building the world’s largest high-speed railway network, which has received huge state investment, in record time, fuelling concerns that corners have been cut.
China’s bullet trains came under intense scrutiny this year after Liu Zhijun, the railways minister, was dismissed in February for “serious disciplinary violations”. Soon after his removal, the government announced it would cut the top speed of its bullet lines to 300km/h from 350km/h (186mph) because of safety and affordability concerns.