China started building its first high-speed railway vocational training base in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, on September 30, Cnhubei.com reports.

The training base, which covers a total area of 210,000 square meters and represents an investment of 3 billion yuan ($ 450 million), will be completed within a year.

It is estimated that 13,000 people will receive training here annually in the initial period after its completion and that number will grow to 24,000 in 2020. The training will focus on 20 positions, including driver, engineer and controller, the report said.

Besides being a training base for high-speed railway workers, it will also be a center to carry out research and development in order to display scientific and technological achievements. It will also serve as a platform to conduct international academic communication in the field of high-speed railway.

By the end of 2012, the operational length of railway will reach 13,000 kilometers, and China will replace Japan and Germany as the country with the longest length of high-speed railway in the world, according to the Ministry of Railways.

(CRIENGLISH.com October 1, 2010)