The Ministry of Railways is expected to receive more than Rmb200bn-worth of financial support to pay off bills and continue important railway projects, reported Xinhua.

An official with the ministry told China Daily that the State Council had given policy support to the railway sector in recent weeks.

Earlier, Wang Mengshu, deputy chief engineer at China Railway Tunnel Group, said that railway projects spanning a total of more than 10,000km, including 5,400km of tunnels, had been suspended due to a shortage of funds. He added that many migrant workers have not been paid for six months and construction companies owe large amounts of money to cement and steel suppliers.

Zhao Jian, a professor with Beijing Jiaotong University, said that the Rmb200bn might just be sufficient to pay off migrant workers and suppliers.