China plans to inspect all of its high-speed railway lines following a crash last month in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, which killed 40 people.

The month-long inspections of 49 projects and 6,000km of lines will last until the middle of September, and train operations and construction will be suspended if safety problems are found, officials said.

China has 13 high-speed railways in operation, with 26 under construction and 23 more planned, although approvals of new projects were put on hold following the Wenzhou crash.

The government has ordered reduced speeds and cut ticket prices for the lines. Top speeds have been lowered from 350kph to 300kph, and from 250kph to 200kph.