China to split rail ministry after scandals

BEIJING (AFP) - China will split its scandal-plagued railways ministry in two and bring its administrative functions under the control of the transport ministry, state media said on Sunday.

The plan is to "dismantle" the ministry, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing a report on institutional reform to be submitted to the National People's Congress parliament meeting in Beijing later.

The ministry's commercial functions will be taken over by a new China Railway Corporation, it added. The railway system has been one of China's flagship development projects in recent years and the country now boasts the world's largest high-speed network.

But the expansion - which has cost hundreds of billions of dollars - has seen widespread allegations of corruption and former railways minister Liu Zhijun, who was sacked in 2011, is awaiting trial on graft charges.