China's new high-speed trains halted again

China's new flagship high-speed rail link between Beijing and Shanghai suffered fresh delays Tuesday due to a power cut, transport authorities said, two days after a similar incident hit the line. A power failure near the eastern city of Suzhou delayed 29 trains on the $33 billion line, before services restarted two hours later once faulty equipment had been repaired, the railways ministry and state media said. "The air-conditioning went out and it was sweltering in the carriage," a passenger was quoted as saying by the news website Eastday.com. The incident was the second in three days after a dozen trains were halted for about 90 minutes on Sunday when thunderstorms and heavy winds brought down the power supply to a section of the line in the eastern province of Shandong. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao formally opened the new line, which halves the rail journey time between the two Chinese cities to five hours, on June 30, although it had been operating on a trial basis since mid-May. He said the high-speed line -- launched on the eve of celebrations to mark the 90th birthday of China's Communist Party -- would be key to "improving the modern transport system... and satisfying people's travelling needs". However, huge investment in the new link has made the sector a hotbed for corruption, raising concerns over costs and safety. China's state auditor in March said construction companies and individuals last year siphoned off 187 million yuan ($29 million) in funds meant for the Beijing-Shanghai link. The revelation followed the February sacking of former railways minister Liu Zhijun, who allegedly took more than 800 million yuan in kickbacks over several years on contracts linked to China's high-speed network.