Nearly 1,000 feet of a high speed rail line in China collapsed earlier this week, after heavy rains caused post-test sections of track to fail.
The collapse occurred between the Wuhan and Yichang, two cities along the Yangtze River, where the rail line spanned a floodplain. No injuries or other damage was reported.
China now has over 13 high speed rail lines, with 26 under construction and over 20 more in the planning stages. Worries over safety have been revived concerning the building binge, as some crews have reported lax standards or sub-par materials.
A fatal crash involving another high speed rail line last July killed 40 people and injured more than 170 others as a bullet train slammed into the back of another near the city of Wenzhou, sparking criticism of China's rush to build rapid transit systems across the country.
Shares for the construction firm in charge of the build, as well of those of the rail group, fell nearly 6 percent on the news of the failure. The line is supposed to open in May.
Image via the WSJ
