Page  1
China 
Guiyang-Gangzhou Railway Project 
Environmental Impact Assessment 
Executive Summary 
October, 2008 
 
E2008 
V3 
Page  2
Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Project 
Environmental Impact Assessment 
Executive Summary
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
Background 
 
This document summarizes the environment impact assessment of the Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Project 
in China, highlighting the main issues and conclusions of the environment impact assessment and 
environment management plan of the project. 
 
According to both Chinese Environmental Assessment laws and regulations and the World Bank
’s 
Operational Policy 4.01 Environmental Assessment, the proposed project is Category A for environmental 
assessment purposes, due to the scale and significance of potential environmental and social impacts and the 
sensitivity of the project areas. Therefore, a full environmental assessment report was required.  
 
The Ministry of Railways (MOR) retained China Railway Second Survey and Design Institute (SSDI) and 
China Railway Fourth Survey and Design Institute (FSDI) for EA preparation. Both institutes hold Class A 
environmental impact assessment accreditation from the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP). SSDI 
is responsible for the section Guiyang to Hezhou section (K0+000-K597+650), and FSDI is responsible for 
the section Hezhou to Guangzhou section (K567+200-K823+513). Accordingly, two separate EIA reports 
were prepared following relevant provisions specified in Chinese EA laws/regulations and technical 
guidelines, as well as World Bank safeguard policies. A Consolidated EA and Environmental Management 
Plan (EMP)
 1
 in English were prepared by SSDI to synthesize the two separate EIA reports. This Executive 
Summary is based on these reports, as well as feasibility studies carried out for the project, and karstic cave 
assessment and cultural resources surveys.  
 
The EA reports and EMP were submitted to the World Bank for review and they conform fully to Bank 
policy guidelines regarding environmental and social issues. All above reports have been made available in 
China and in the Public Information Center (INFOSHOP) of the World Bank. The Chinese EA reports were 
approved by Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) on May 14, 2008.  
 
As designed, the project (i) incorporated effective analysis of alternatives and engineering measures (76% of 
the line as tunnels and bridges) to maximize project benefits and eliminate significant grade impacts that 
would have occurred; (ii) will not adversely affect or convert critical natural habitats; (ii) will not adversely 
affect resources of high cultural value; (iii) will not negatively affect ethnic minorities but rather provide 
opportunities for their own development; (iv) will have minimized the need for resettlement and will provide 
adequate and just compensation and income restoration for affected peoples; and (v) includes a framework 
for addressing environmental and social issues during construction and operation of the project. 
 
Project Objectives 
 
The Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Line (GRL) will be an important interregional railway corridor, passing 
through three provinces (Guizhou, Guangxi and Guangdong). The line is part of the MOR’s network 
1
New Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Line Project, Environmental Impact Report, Environmental Management 
Program; China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Go., Ltd., GHPZ JZ No.3210, China Railway Siyuan Survey and 
Design Group Co., Ltd., GHPZ JZ No.2605, June 2008. 
 
Page  3
expansion plan. This line will provide a short and direct linkage of the relatively less-developed provinces of 
northwestern China with the Pearl River Delta region, one of the most developed areas in China. It will 
access Sichuan Province, Chongqing and northwest China via the Sichuan-Guizhou Railway Line and 
Lanzhou-Chongqing Railway Line to the north; link to Yunnan Province via the Guiyang-Kunming Railway 
Line in the west; stretch to Pearl River Delta, the developed areas of Hong Kong and Macao, as well as the 
Economic Zone in Fujian and Taiwan, via the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Passenger Dedicated 
Railway Line and the Coastal Express Rail Link in the south; and reach the coastal areas of Guangxi and 
Hainan via the Hengyang-Nanning Railway Line and Litang-Zhanjiang Railway Line. It will be a high 
standard inter-regional trunk railway line for both passenger and freight transportation, with passenger 
transportation as a priority. 
 
Environmental Assessment Process and Legal Framework 
 
A
full Environmental Assessment (EA) was carried out following terms of reference agreed with the World 
Bank. The terms of reference were discussed in public meetings. The project triggered the following World 
Bank policies: Environmental Assessment; Natural Habitats; Indigenous Peoples; Involuntary Resettlement; 
and Physical Cultural Resources. Compliance with these policies
,
and the World Bank’s disclosure of 
information policy, is summarized in Table 1. The project is also in full compliance with environmental 
policies and regulations in China, summarized in Table 2. 
 
Table 1 - 
Compliance World Bank Safeguards Policies 
Safeguard Policies 
Actions 
Environmental Assessment 
(OP/BP 4.01) 
-
Category A project. Full EIA and EMP have been prepared. 
Natural Habitats 
(OP/BP 4.04) 
-
Alignment alternatives to avoid natural habitats 
-
Adequate assessment of impacted protected areas and mitigation measures 
incorporated in EMP 
Physical Cultural 
Resources  
(OP/BP 4.11) 
-
Archeological survey conducted along alignment 
-
Alignment alternatives to avoid cultural relics sites 
-
Chance procedures developed in EMP 
Involuntary Resettlement  
(OP/BP 4.12) 
-
Resettlement Action Plan has been prepared 
Indigenous Peoples  
(OP/BP 4.10) 
-
Social Assessment has been  conducted 
-
Ethnic Minority Indigenous Plan has been developed 
Consultation 
-  A combination of opinion surveys and public meetings were held in the township 
government, village committee and affected village
rs’ homes during preparation of the 
EIA and Resettlement Action Plan and Ethnic Minority Plan 
Project Description
 
When completed, the GRL will comprise a new 857 km double track railway line from Guiyang in the 
Guizhou Province, passing through the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and ending in the City of 
Guangzhou in the Guangdong Province in South China. The total investment is expected to be near RMB 80 
million Yuan (US$ 11.8 billion), including a World Bank loan of US$ 300 million. The construction period 
is expected to be six years, starting in late 2008 and expected commissioning by early 2015The location, 
alignment and main technical characteristics of the railway line are presented in Figure 1. 
 
The GRL will have 35 stations, including 5 main passenger stations, 15 intermediate stations and 15 by-pass 
stations. Eight stations expand existing stations, and 27 stations will be newly built.  
Table 2 - Compliance with Chinese Regulations 
China Laws and Regulations 
Project Compliance 
Page  4
Environmental Protection Law 
 
EIA is prepared according to relevant laws/regulations and technical guidelines 
Mitigation measures are developed in EMP and incorporated into project design, and 
are to be implemented and supervised during construction 
Final acceptance inspection will be carried out before commissioning. 
Environmental Impact Assessment 
Law 
 
Full EIA report is prepared, and approved by Ministry of Environmental Protection 
A
dedicated Water and Soil Conservation Plan is developed and approved by water 
resources authorities 
Notice on Strengthening EIA 
Management for Construction 
Projects Funded by Loans from 
International Financial Institutions 
EIA and EMP are prepared in compliance with World Bank OP4.01. 
Environmental Protection 
Management Regulations for 
Transport Project 
Mitigation measures are developed in EMP and incorporated into project design, and 
are to be implemented and supervised during construction. 
Final acceptance inspection will be carried out by MEP before commissioning. 
Solid Waste Pollution Prevention 
and Control Law 
 
A
Water and Soil Conservation Plan is developed, and incorporated into EMP and 
contracts for implementation 
All waste spoils will be reused or properly disposed of in preselected and approved 
disposal sites with re-vegetation plan 
Water Pollution Prevention and 
Control Law 
Mitigation measures are built into EMP 
The alignment is carefully chosen to avoid drinking water resource protection areas 
Forestry Law 
 
The alignment is designed with tunnel-bridge-tunnel scheme to minimize occupation 
of forestry land 
Legal procedures will be followed for land acquisition and compensation for 
restoration 
Wildlife Protection Law 
 
Alignment is carefully chosen to avoid protected natural habitats 
Tunnel-bridge-tunnel scheme is adopted to minimize segmentation impact 
Potential impact is thoroughly addressed in EIA, and necessary mitigation measures 
developed in EMP 
Wild Plants Protection Regulations 
 
Alignment is carefully chosen to avoid protected natural reserves 
Protected wild plants are identified and protection measures developed 
Nature Reserve Protection 
Regulations 
 
Alignment is carefully chosen to avoid protected natural reserves 
For un-avoidable reserves, alignment is arranged in Experimental Zone using tunnel 
scheme to minimize impact 
Other necessary measures are developed in EMP 
Scenic Area Management 
Regulations 
 
Alignment is carefully chosen to avoid scenic areas as much as possible 
For un-avoidable scenic areas, alignment is arranged to avoid main scenic spots 
Greening plan and special design of stations are developed to be harmonious with the 
landscape 
Water and Soil Conservation Law 
 
A
Water and Soil Conservation Plan is developed, and incorporated into EMP and 
contracts for implementation 
Urban Old and Famous Trees 
Management Method 
Alternative alignment is studied to avoid old and famous trees to the extent possible 
Un-avoidable trees will be relocated following applicable legal procedures 
Notice on Strengthening National 
Green Corridor Construction by 
State Council 
Extensive greening plan is designed along the railway line following relevant technical 
guidelines 
Cultural Property Law 
 
Cultural property survey along the whole line has been conducted by licensed 
archeological institutes. 
Alignment is fine-tuned to avoid existing cultural relics sites 
Chance-find procedure will be strictly followed. 
Notice on Strengthening Noise 
Pollution Control of Railway 
Noise impact is thoroughly assessed following EIA technical guidelines 
Noise mitigation measures (noise barriers, sound-insulation windows, seamless rail, 
noise damping system etc.) are designed to mitigate noise impact 
Page  5
F
i
g
u
r
e
1
.
A
l
i
g
n
m
e
n
t
.
W
i
t
h
t
h
e
s
t
a
r
t
p
o
i
n
t
a
t
G
u
i
y
a
n
g
N
o
r
t
h
R
a
i
l
w
a
y
S
t
a
t
i
o
n
i
n
G
u
i
y
a
n
g
,
i
t
e
x
t
e
n
d
s
n
o
r
t
h
w
a
r
d
s
t
o
D
u
y
u
n
b
y
p
a
s
s
i
n
g
t
h
r
o
u
g
h
D
o
u
p
e
n
g
M
o
u
n
t
a
i
n
v
i
a
L
o
n
g
l
i
,
t
r
a
v
e
l
s
f
r
o
m
S
a
n
d
u
t
o
G
u
a
n
g
x
i
Z
h
u
a
n
g
A
u
t
o
n
o
m
o
u
s
R
e
g
i
o
n
a
l
o
n
g
D
u
l
i
u
R
i
v
e
r
,
R
o
n
g
j
i
a
n
g
R
i
v
e
r
a
n
d
C
o
n
g
j
i
a
n
g
R
i
v
e
r
.
T
h
e
n
i
t
e
n
t
e
r
s
i
n
t
o
t
h
e
t
e
r
r
i
t
o
r
y
o
f
G
u
a
n
g
d
o
n
g
v
i
a
R
o
n
g
j
i
a
n
g
R
i
v
e
r
,
J
i
a
o
z
u
o
-
L
i
u
z
h
o
u
R
a
i
l
w
a
y
,
S
a
n
j
i
a
n
g
c
o
u
n
t
y
o
f
L
i
u
z
h
o
u
c
i
t
y
,
T
a
i
p
i
n
g
M
o
u
n
t
a
i
n
T
u
n
n
e
l
,
L
i
j
i
a
n
g
R
i
v
e
r
a
t
G
u
i
l
i
n
,
G
o
n
g
c
h
e
n
g
a
n
d
H
e
z
h
o
u
.
T
h
e
r
a
i
l
w
a
y
f
i
n
a
l
l
y
r
e
a
c
h
e
s
t
h
e
r
a
i
l
w
a
y
t
e
r
m
i
n
a
l
i
n
G
u
a
n
g
z
h
o
u
,
G
u
a
n
g
z
h
o
u
N
e
w
R
a
i
l
w
a
y
S
t
a
t
i
o
n
,
v
i
a
H
u
a
i
j
i
,
B
e
i
j
i
a
n
g
R
i
v
e
r
,
Z
h
a
o
q
i
n
g
,
S
a
n
s
h
u
i
a
n
d
F
o
s
h
a
.
M
a
i
n
t
e
c
h
n
i
c
a
l
S
p
e
c
i
f
i
c
a
t
i
o
n
s
o
f
t
h
e
G
u
i
g
u
a
n
g
R
a
i
l
w
a
y
L
e
n
g
t
h
:
8
5
7
.
3
0
0
k
m
E
m
b
a
n
k
m
e
n
t
:
2
1
8
k
m
;
B
r
i
d
g
e
s
:
1
9
1
K
m
;
T
u
n
n
e
l
s
:
4
7
6
K
m
.
D
i
s
t
a
n
c
e
i
n
c
e
n
t
e
r
l
i
n
e
o
f
t
w
o
t
r
a
c
k
s
:
4
.
6
m
M
i
n
i
m
u
m
c
u
r
v
e
r
a
d
i
u
s
:
3
,
5
0
0
m
.
O
n
d
i
f
f
i
c
u
l
t
l
o
c
a
t
i
o
n
s
s
h
a
r
p
e
r
c
u
r
v
e
s
s
h
a
l
l
b
e
t
o
l
e
r
a
t
e
d
.
M
a
x
i
m
u
m
g
r
a
d
e
:
1
8
i
n
1
0
0
0
,
b
e
t
w
e
e
n
G
u
i
y
a
n
g
a
n
d
H
e
z
h
o
u
a
n
d
9
i
n
1
0
0
0
b
e
t
w
e
e
n
H
e
z
h
o
u
a
n
d
G
u
a
n
g
z
h
o
u
.
E
f
f
e
c
t
i
v
e
l
e
n
g
t
h
o
f
d
e
p
a
r
t
u
r
e
t
r
a
K
:
8
5
0
m
f
o
r
f
r
e
i
g
h
t
a
n
d
6
5
0
m
f
o
r
p
a
s
s
e
n
g
e
r
t
r
a
i
n
s
.
T
r
a
c
t
i
o
n
:
E
l
e
c
t
r
i
c
2
5
k
V
5
0
H
z
T
r
a
i
n
t
y
p
e
:
E
l
e
c
t
r
i
c
M
u
l
t
i
p
l
e
U
n
i
t
s
f
o
r
2
0
0
k
m
/
h
t
r
a
i
n
s
a
n
d
e
l
e
c
t
r
i
c
l
o
c
o
m
o
t
i
v
e
s
f
o
r
s
l
o
w
e
r
p
a
s
s
e
n
g
e
r
t
r
a
i
n
s
a
n
d
f
r
e
i
g
h
t
t
r
a
i
n
s
T
r
a
i
n
o
p
e
r
a
t
i
o
n
c
o
n
t
r
o
l
:
A
u
t
o
m
a
t
i
c
T
r
a
f
f
i
c
m
a
n
a
g
e
m
e
n
t
c
o
n
t
r
o
l
:
C
e
n
t
r
a
l
i
z
e
d
T
r
a
f
f
i
c
C
o
n
t
r
o
l
M
i
n
i
m
u
m
h
e
a
d
w
a
y
b
e
t
w
e
e
n
t
r
a
i
n
s
:
4
m
i
n
u
t
e
s
f
o
r
p
a
s
s
e
n
g
e
r
t
r
a
i
n
s
a
n
d
5
m
i
n
u
t
e
s
f
o
r
f
r
e
i
g
h
t
t
r
a
i
n
s
.
A
x
l
e
l
o
a
d
:
2
5
t
o
n
s
R
a
i
l
:
N
e
w
6
0
k
g
/
m
r
a
i
l
s
o
f
1
0
0
m
l
e
n
g
t
h
,
c
o
n
t
i
n
u
o
u
s
w
e
l
d
e
d
(
C
W
R
)
G
u
a
n
g
z
h
o
u
G
u
a
n
g
z
h
o
u
G
u
i
y
a
n
g
Page  6
6
ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES 
 
Regional Corridors 
 
The feasibility study analyzed alternative alignments for the railway line, location of terminals, and 
approaches to urban areas. Three regional corridors were studied: A Northern line scheme via Huaihua and 
Yongzhou partially follows the existing Zhuzhou-Liupanshui railway and the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway; a 
Central line scheme via Guilin and Hezhou; and a Southern line via Liuzhou and Wuzho, which partially 
follows the existing Guiyang 
–Liuzhou railway. Alternative corridors are shown in Figure 2. 
 
Figure 2 
–Alternative Regional Corridors 
A
comparative analysis of these three corridors was carried out taking into consideration the current situation 
and development planning of the regional railways. At this stage, the main factors considered were regional 
economic and social development, poverty alleviation impacts, and potential tourism development as well as 
financial and technical considerations. Site specific environmental concerns could not be meaningfully 
examined at this macro-scale analysis. 
 
The Central line scheme was selected as the most efficient express passage connecting the southwest and 
northwest of China and Pearl River delta areas. It can effectively expand the scale of the regional railway 
network, and will bring about the largest potential benefits of poverty alleviation, local economic 
development, tourism development which is highly consistent with the spirit of MOR and the provinces.  
 
Alternative Alignment for Sections 
 
The process of alignment selection has been perhaps the most important environmental tool for this project. 
Alternative alignments for various sections have been extensively studied to choose the optimal scheme in 
terms of environmental and social impact, technical feasibility and financial and economic benefits. 
Consultation with local governments and relevant authorities in charge of environmental sensitive areas were 
conducted and fully incorporated into the alternative selection process. An important restriction for the 
selection of the alignment has been the need for connecting economic hubs along the railway line. These 
include Guiyang, Duyun, Rongjiang, Congjiang, Sanjiang, Guilin, Gongcheng, Zhongshan and Hezhou, with 
comparatively long distance between each other (40-50km in average). As stations are needed in each 
economic hub, it was a challenge to reach an optimal compatibility of route selection and location of stations. 
 
Northern Line
Central Line 
Southern Line 
Page  7
7
Based on the special geographical location, geological conditions and functional/technical standards of the 
railway, the concept of environmental protection was the most important limitation in alignment location 
during the pre-feasibility and feasibility study stages. Considerable effort has been made to avoid 
ecologically sensitive areas, geologically unstable areas, floodplains and wetlands, relocation of houses, 
cultivated lands, and cultural resources in order to ensure the environmental and social feasibility of the 
alignment. The final alignment thus minimizes environmental and social impacts, avoids natural hazards, and 
connects the economic hubs in the region.  
 
ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING
 
A
necessary and important element of the EA was the baseline research that describes the physical, 
ecological, and social characteristics of the project area. The project area is rather complex, particularly from 
the socio-economic and ecological perspectives. A detailed environmental baseline was needed to highlight 
locations of highest potential impact. The Guiguang Railway line will traverse a wide variety of ecosystems 
and landscapes from the flood plains of major rivers to steep and strikingly beautiful mountains. The line will 
traverse heavily populated (megacities) areas mainly at both ends of the line, as well as rural areas with 
dispersed populations and ethnic minority communities. These widespread variations of urban, rural and 
natural landscapes and social situations will require careful planning and supervision during construction and 
operation. 
 
Physical Setting 
 
Landforms
:
The line will traverse five geological landform ranging from alluvial plains of the Pearl River, 
plateaus and low tectonic mountains, karst low mountains, and middle and low mountains, and hilly areas 
 
Karst and Karst caves
:
China has 5 karst World Heritage properties. The South China Karts was inscribed in 
2007 and includes three sites (Wulong in Chongqing, Shillin in Yunnan, and Libo.
2
However, the most 
iconic sites-the lower karst landscape near the Li River between Guiling and Yangshuo, are not included in 
the serial World Heritage list nomination.
3
The line will cross important karst formation mainly in the 
sections of Guiyang 
–
Sandu and Wutong – Hezhou where tunnel construction may have interaction with 
groundwater. The line will traverse neither the sites nor the Guiling-Yangshuo areas. Karst caves in the area 
along the line are mostly distributed at Guiyang-Sandu and Wutong-Hezhou Sections, with 68 karst caves 
within 300m from both sides of the railway line. The area between Guiyang and Sandu is a middle and low 
mountainous area of plateau denudation and solution, while the area between Wutong and Hezhou is a 
middle denudation mountains, low karst mountains and hilly areas in northeast of Guangxi. 
2
IUCN: “World Heritage Caves and Karst” a Thematic Study, IUCN World heritage Studies, Number 2, 2008. 
3
The Guiling-Yangshuo landcape is featured in traditional art and even in bank notes in China. 
Page  8
8
Water Systems
:
The railway line crosses two major river systems: the Yangtze River and Pearl River basins. 
Divided by Miaoling Mountain, the area in the north belongs to the Yangtze River Water System, where the 
railway line crosses the Qingshuihe and the Qingshui rivers. The area in the south of Miaoling Mountain 
belongs to the Pearl River Water System, where the railway line mainly crosses the Duliu River, Rongjiang 
River, Lijiang River, Hejiang River, Beijiang River. In total, the alignment will cross 52 rivers and canals.
 
Natural Hazards
:
Unfavorable geological conditions along the railway line include a wide variety of hazards 
such as rock and landslides, active mining areas, dangerous rock formations, soft soils, red and liquefiable 
foundation soils. The line also crosses floodplains of major rivers. The project has either avoided these areas 
or designed adequate engineering structures and measures to cross them. 
 
Sensitive Ecosystems 
 
Reserves, Parks, Scenic Areas., Water Sources, and Cultural Resources
.
Field surveys were conducted along 
the corridor to identify environmental sensitive. Although extensive effort has been made for alternative 
alignment selection in order to avoid environmental, social and cultural sensitive areas, the proposed final 
alignment will inevitably pass some nature reserves, forest parks, scenic area, drinking water resource 
protection area, as well as urban areas. According to Chinese laws and regulations, the definition of these 
terms and the restrictions for infrastructure construction are presented in Table 3. 
 
Table 3 - Definition of Sensitive Sites in China 
Protected Area 
Description and Restrictions 
Nature Reserve 
 
-
Nature Reserve is legally protected land, surface water body or sea area which features typical 
natural ecological system, natural concentrated habitats for rare or endangered wildlife, or natural 
relics with special meaning.
”
-
Nature reserves are classified into three zones: Core Zone, Buffer Zone, and Experimental Zone. 
No one is allowed to enter the Core Zone without approval. For the Buffer Zone, only scientific 
research and observation activities are allowed. The periphery of the Buffer Zone is an 
Experimental Zone. Scientific experiments, teaching training, visit and observation, tourism and 
taming and breeding rare and endangered wild animals and plants and other activities are allowed.  
-Road and railway projects within Experimental Zone are allowed, subject to approval of the nature 
reserve management authority. 
Forest Park 
 
-
Forest park is an area with beautiful forest view, concentrated natural view and human cultural 
landscape designed for the purpose of tourism, rest, or science, cultural or education activities.” 
-
There are three levels of forest park, i.e. national, provincial and city/county level, whose 
establishment shall be approved by national, provincial and municipal forest bureau respectively.  
-
Railway project is allowed, subject to agreement of forest park management authority and 
approval of corresponding level of government. 
Scenic Area 
 
-
Scenic area is an area with view, cultural or scientific value, features concentrated natural or 
human landscape and beautiful environment, and serves the purpose of tourism, scientific or 
cultural activities.”  
-
Construction projects within scenic area should be consistent with area planning and compatible 
with landscape. Railways are allowed subject to approval of the scenic area management authority. 
Water Resource 
Protection Area 
 
-Water resource protection area is a certain area of water body and land designated for prevention 
of pollution on drinking water sources and protection of environmental quality of the area.” 
-
Surface water resource protection area normally includes Class 1 protection area and Class2 
protection area. The boundary of the protection areas is determined by local governments. The 
general guideline is, for water intake in normal rivers, Class 1 protection area includes river section 
between at least 1000m upstream and 100 m downstream, and river bank within no less than 50 m; 
Class 2 protection area include river section extending 2000m upstream and 200 m downstream 
from the border of Class 1 area. A semi-protection area can be determined outside the Class 2 
protection boundary. 
-
Railway project is allowed in Class 2 protection area and semi-protection area. 
Page  9
9
Rare Plants and Fauna Species of Concern
.
Plant species in the project alignment are mostly common species 
of sub-tropical region, with no stenok plants (specifically endemic species) found within the assessment area
.
Ancient and old trees are under special protection in China. There are two types of national class II protected 
plants, i.e. camphortree (17 trees) and 
Cibotium barometz
 (50 trees) found in Datian, Qingchi, Dayuan Power 
Plant and Shoucheng Natural Reserve within the land acquisition requirements of the project. In addition, 
there are 10 old tress (banyan, sweetgum, 
Castanopsis hystrix
,
Michelia foveolata var.cinerascens
 and 
Schima Su-perba Gardn.et Champ
)
found in Chaolidong and nearby Rongjiangyue Village. These trees have 
been identified and referenced along the alignment. 
Fauna resources were analyzed based on existing data from research institutes, nature reserve management 
authorities and other relevant local governments, as well as consultation with local villagers, forest guards, 
animal protection organizations and herb medicine collectors during field surveys. There are 27 species of 
rare and endangered animals under protection, among which 5 species are large mammals and 22 species are 
birds, along the Guiyang-Hezhou section corridor. These protected animals include some National Class I 
protected animals such as 
Moschus berezovskii
,
Syrmaticus ellioti
,
Tragopan caboti
,
and National Class II 
protected animals, like the macaque, 
Macaca thibetana
,
Viverricula indica
,
Prionodon pardicolor
 spotted 
linsang, 
Glaucidium brodiei
,
Glaucidium cuculoides, Falco tinnunculus 
common kestrel, 
Aviceda leuphotes 
syama
,
Accipiter nisus
,
Greater Coucal, Lesser Coucal, Eastern Marsh Harrier, Greater Coucal, and 
Asio 
flammeus.
.
The main habitats for these protected animals are core zones of Longjiashan National Forest Park 
and Shoucheng Natural Reserve. However, they are found occasionally in other places along the alignment. 
The Hezhou-Guangzhou section presents even a more reduced number of rare and endangered species with 
only 6 species of rare animals under protection, including two national Class II protected animals, i.e. tiger 
frog and rasse, and four protected animals at the provincial level in Guangzhou: Chinese Pond-Heron, 
aigrette, porcupine and ocelot. These animals are rarely found in the assessment area given the scarcity of 
adequate habitats for these species along the railway corridor.  
Socioeconomic Setting 
 
The project will be constructed in the economically underdeveloped regions of Guizhou and Guangxi, where 
the traffic by waterways, highways and airlines is comparatively lagging. The project areas are mainly rural 
and poor, and experiences serous unbalance of social and economic development whose eastern part in 
Guangdong is much developed, with a GDP per capita 69286 yuan and 3277 yuan per capita in Qiannan 
Prefecture in  the western section in Guizhou and Guangxi. Although the alignment goes primarily through 
rural areas; it will also cross megacities such as Guangzhou, Fushan, Guilin and Guiyang. 
 
The project corridor also presents a rich cultural diversity. There are six ethnic minority groups (Buyi, 
Zhuang, Yao, Miao, Dong, and Shui) with a total population of more than 125 thousands minority people in 
the project counties. There are three minority townships, four minority autonomy counties, two minority 
autonomy prefectures and one minority autonomy regions affected by the project. There are 1600 ethnic 
minority households that will be affected by the project. 
 
ASSESSMENT OF IMPACTS AND MITIGATION
 
As all transportation projects, the GRL will have the potential to cause direct, indirect, or cumulative impacts 
to the social and natural environments. The Railway Line is anticipated to have beneficial impacts related to 
increased mobility and promote economic development in impoverished regions of southern China. 
Manageable adverse impacts are primarily related to (i) crossing sensitive sites such as nature reserves and 
forest parks, areas of cultural value, and scenic areas; (ii) community impacts such as resettlement in urban 
and rural areas, community severance, impacts on ethnic minorities, and noise and vibration; and (iii) 
induced and scenic impacts; and (iv) impacts during construction.  
Page  10
10
 
The project has implemented a three-fold approach to minimize environmental and social impacts: 
 
(1) 
Avoidance
:
Alternative analysis has been regarded as one of the most important mitigation 
measures to minimize potential adverse environmental and social impact. 
 
(2) 
Sound Engineering
:
The project has been designed with state-of-the art engineering. Using 
tunnel-bridge-tunnel schemes will avoid most sensitive issues. Close to 76% of the line comprise 
tunnels and bridges as shown below. This will avoid most impacts at grade, that otherwise would 
have resulted without this extensive use of tunnels and bridges. 
 
Infrastructure 
Length 
% of length 
Embankment 218 
km 
24% 
Bridges and 
viaducts 
342 bridges (191.6 km total length), including 71 extra long 
bridges (126.7 km length). Longest bridge is 1651m long. 988 
culverts (total 34.3 km length) would be constructed.  
20% 
Tunnels 
240 tunnels totaling 476.6 km, 40 tunnels are over 3 km long.. 
Longest tunnels: Gelaoshen 14.8 km and Yanshan 14.7 km. 
56% 
(3) 
Comprehensive Mitigation plans
:
detailed environmental design plans (green corridors and 
landscaping) environmental management plans, construction management, resettlement action 
plans, and ethnic minority plans have been prepared in order to minimize unavoidable impacts 
from the project. 
 
Crossing Sensitive Areas 
 
Perhaps the most environmentally and socially sensitive component of the proposed project will be the 
construction and operation of the railway line through environmentally and socially sensitive areas. There are 
48 environmental sensitive sites identified along the project corridor. Various alternatives were studied and 
the final proposed alignment successfully avoided 40 environmental sensitive areas. However, due to the 
distribution of economic hubs and special natural conditions along the line, there remain around 8 
environmentally sensitive areas that would be impacted.These include: (1) Longjiashan National Forest Park, 
(2) Rongjiang Gurong Scenic Area, provincial level, (3) Congjiang Scenic Area, provincial level, (4) Liping 
Dongxiang National Scenic Area in Guizhou, (5) Shoucheng Nature Reserve, autonomous region level, (6) 
Yangshuo National Forest Park, (7) Gongcheng class I source water protection area, and (8) Lianhua-Gulou 
Cultural Relics Protection Unit, county level, in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.  
 
Nature Reserves
.
There are 8 nature reserves of various levels in the project corridor (Table 4). The 
alignment has been carefully shifted to avoid these sensitive sites to the extent possible. The final alignment 
avoided 7 reserves by at least 300 m. but has to cross the Shoucheng Nature Reserve (provincial level) 
through a tunnel. This crossing has received special attention during project design. 
 
Forest Parks
:
There are 4 national level forest parks (Table 5). The alignment has been carefully shifted to 
avoid 2 parks, but it will pass through the Longjiashan Park and the Yangshuo Park. 
 
Special aspects of the crossings of this nature reserve and parks are presented in Box 1. 
 
Page  11
1
1
B
o
x
1
-
S
p
e
c
i
a
l
C
o
n
s
i
d
e
r
a
t
i
o
n
s
i
n
C
r
o
s
s
i
n
g
N
a
t
u
r
e
R
e
s
e
r
v
e
s
a
n
d
P
a
r
k
s
C
r
o
s
s
i
n
g
t
h
e
S
h
o
u
c
h
e
n
g
N
a
t
u
r
e
R
e
s
e
r
v
e
:
T
h
e
r
a
i
l
w
a
y
w
i
l
l
c
r
o
s
s
t
h
e
S
h
o
u
c
h
e
n
g
N
a
t
u
r
a
l
R
e
s
e
r
v
e
s
m
a
i
n
l
y
b
y
t
u
n
n
e
l
s
(
1
5
.
2
6
4
k
m
)
a
n
d
o
n
l
y
1
0
3
6
m
e
t
e
r
s
w
i
l
l
b
e
e
x
p
o
s
e
d
b
e
t
w
e
e
n
t
h
e
e
x
i
t
o
f
T
i
a
o
p
i
n
g
s
h
a
n
T
u
n
n
e
l
a
n
d
t
h
e
e
n
t
r
a
n
c
e
t
o
t
h
e
J
i
a
n
g
j
i
a
s
h
a
n
T
u
n
n
e
l
,
j
o
i
n
e
d
b
y
4
b
r
i
d
g
e
s
(
6
6
8
.
4
m
l
o
n
g
t
o
t
a
l
)
,
w
i
t
h
t
h
e
h
e
i
g
h
t
f
r
o
m
t
h
e
r
a
i
l
f
o
o
t
i
n
t
h
e
b
r
i
d
g
e
s
t
o
t
h
e
t
u
n
n
e
l
b
o
t
t
o
m
o
f
m
o
r
e
t
h
a
n
8
.
5
m
w
i
t
h
a
m
a
x
i
m
u
m
o
f
2
3
m
,
t
o
e
n
s
u
r
e
f
r
e
e
p
a
s
s
a
g
e
s
o
f
a
n
i
m
a
l
s
.
N
o
i
r
r
e
v
e
r
s
i
b
l
e
i
m
p
a
c
t
s
w
i
l
l
b
e
g
e
n
e
r
a
t
e
d
o
n
h
a
b
i
t
a
t
s
o
v
e
r
t
h
e
t
u
n
n
e
l
s
,
a
n
d
t
h
e
p
r
o
p
o
s
e
d
r
a
i
l
w
a
y
l
i
n
e
w
i
l
l
n
o
t
f
r
a
g
m
e
n
t
h
a
b
i
t
a
t
s
i
n
t
h
e
r
e
s
e
r
v
e
.
T
h
e
t
o
t
a
l
l
a
n
d
o
c
c
u
p
a
t
i
o
n
b
y
a
l
l
i
n
f
r
a
s
t
r
u
c
t
u
r
e
s
i
n
t
h
e
S
o
u
c
h
e
n
g
N
a
t
u
r
e
R
e
s
e
r
v
e
w
i
l
l
b
e
4
.
6
h
a
.
T
h
e
n
a
t
u
r
a
l
v
e
g
e
t
a
t
i
o
n
a
r
o
u
n
d
a
n
d
u
n
d
e
r
b
r
i
d
g
e
s
,
s
u
b
g
r
a
d
e
a
n
d
c
o
n
s
t
r
u
c
t
i
o
n
a
c
c
e
s
s
r
o
a
d
s
a
r
e
m
o
s
t
l
y
c
o
m
m
o
n
p
l
a
n
t
s
s
p
e
c
i
e
s
,
l
i
k
e
C
a
s
t
a
n
o
p
s
i
s
c
a
r
l
e
s
i
i
,
C
a
s
t
a
n
o
p
s
i
s
f
a
r
g
e
s
i
i
,
C
a
s
t
a
n
o
p
s
i
s
f
a
b
r
i
,
C
a
s
t
a
n
o
p
s
i
s
e
y
r
e
i
,
m
o
s
o
b
a
m
b
o
o
,
s
w
e
e
t
g
u
m
f
o
r
e
s
t
,
M
a
l
l
o
t
u
s
j
a
p
o
n
i
c
u
s
f
o
r
e
s
t
,
s
l
a
s
h
p
i
n
e
f
o
r
e
s
t
a
n
d
r
i
c
e
p
a
d
d
y
.
A
b
o
u
t
5
0
C
i
b
o
t
i
u
m
b
a
r
o
m
e
t
z
s
p
l
a
n
t
s
(
N
a
t
i
o
n
a
l
G
r
a
d
e
I
I
p
r
o
t
e
c
t
e
d
p
l
a
n
t
)
w
i
l
l
b
e
a
f
f
e
c
t
e
d
.
T
h
e
s
e
p
l
a
n
t
s
w
i
l
l
b
e
r
e
l
o
c
a
t
e
d
a
s
r
e
q
u
i
r
e
d
b
y
C
h
i
n
e
s
e
l
a
w
,
t
h
u
s
t
h
e
i
m
p
a
c
t
o
n
v
e
g
e
t
a
t
i
o
n
w
i
l
l
b
e
f
u
r
t
h
e
r
m
i
t
i
g
a
t
e
d
.
E
x
i
s
t
i
n
g
r
o
a
d
s
c
a
n
b
e
u
s
e
d
a
s
a
c
c
e
s
s
a
f
t
e
r
b
e
i
n
g
s
t
r
e
n
g
t
h
e
n
e
d
b
u
t
t
h
e
e
n
t
r
a
n
c
e
p
o
r
t
a
l
o
f
t
h
e
T
i
a
n
p
i
n
g
s
h
a
n
T
u
n
n
e
l
w
i
l
l
n
e
e
d
a
5
k
m
a
c
c
e
s
s
r
o
a
d
.
S
p
o
i
l
s
f
r
o
m
t
u
n
n
e
l
w
i
l
l
b
e
u
s
e
d
f
o
r
e
m
b
a
n
k
m
e
n
t
a
n
d
d
i
s
p
o
s
a
l
s
i
t
e
s
w
i
l
l
b
e
l
o
c
a
t
e
d
o
u
t
s
i
d
e
t
h
e
p
r
o
t
e
c
t
e
d
a
r
e
a
.
C
r
o
s
s
i
n
g
L
o
n
g
j
i
a
s
h
a
n
N
a
t
i
o
n
a
l
F
o
r
e
s
t
P
a
r
k
.
T
h
e
l
e
n
g
t
h
o
f
r
a
i
l
w
a
y
w
i
t
h
i
n
t
h
e
p
a
r
k
b
o
u
n
d
a
r
y
w
i
l
l
b
e
5
.
7
2
k
m
b
u
t
t
u
n
n
e
l
a
n
d
b
r
i
d
g
e
s
w
i
l
l
a
c
c
o
u
n
t
f
o
r
7
0
%
.
T
h
e
t
o
t
a
l
l
a
n
d
o
c
c
u
p
a
t
i
o
n
w
i
l
l
b
e
o
n
l
y
9
.
8
h
a
,
i
n
c
l
u
d
i
n
g
1
.
3
h
a
o
f
d
r
y
l
a
n
d
,
0
.
1
h
a
o
f
r
i
c
e
f
i
e
l
d
a
n
d
7
.
7
h
a
o
f
p
l
a
n
t
e
d
f
o
r
e
s
t
.
T
h
e
r
u
r
a
l
r
o
a
d
n
e
t
w
o
r
k
w
i
t
h
i
n
t
h
e
p
a
r
k
c
a
n
b
e
u
s
e
d
a
s
a
c
c
e
s
s
r
o
a
d
s
.
C
o
n
s
t
r
u
c
t
i
o
n
c
a
m
p
s
,
m
a
t
e
r
i
a
l
s
t
o
r
a
g
e
y
a
r
d
s
a
n
d
s
p
o
i
l
d
i
s
p
o
s
a
l
s
i
t
e
s
w
i
l
l
b
e
l
o
c
a
t
e
d
o
u
t
s
i
d
e
t
h
e
p
a
r
k
.
T
h
e
a
l
i
g
n
m
e
n
t
i
s
m
o
r
e
t
h
a
n
3
k
m
a
w
a
y
f
r
o
m
t
h
e
p
a
r
k
’
s
s
c
e
n
i
c
a
r
e
a
s
.
Y
a
n
g
s
h
u
o
N
a
t
i
o
n
a
l
F
o
r
e
s
t
P
a
r
k
.
T
h
e
r
a
i
l
w
a
y
a
l
i
g
n
m
e
n
t
w
i
l
l
p
a
s
s
t
h
r
o
u
g
h
t
h
e
e
d
g
e
o
f
t
h
e
P
a
r
k
,
w
i
t
h
t
o
t
a
l
l
e
n
g
t
h
w
i
t
h
i
n
t
h
e
b
o
u
n
d
a
r
y
o
f
P
a
r
k
o
f
o
n
l
y
5
8
7
.
m
,
o
f
w
h
i
c
h
5
7
4
m
i
s
t
u
n
n
e
l
a
n
d
1
3
m
i
s
b
r
i
d
g
e
.
T
h
e
a
r
e
a
o
f
t
h
i
s
1
3
m
s
e
c
t
i
o
n
i
s
o
r
c
h
a
r
d
l
a
n
d
.
C
a
m
p
s
i
t
e
s
o
u
t
s
i
d
e
t
h
e
p
a
r
k
E
x
i
s
t
i
n
g
r
u
r
a
l
r
o
a
d
a
s
a
c
c
e
s
s
r
o
a
d
S
p
o
i
l
d
i
s
p
o
s
a
l
s
i
t
e
s
o
u
t
s
i
d
e
t
h
e
p
a
r
k
(
K
4
5
+
4
0
)
S
p
o
i
l
d
i
s
p
o
s
a
l
s
i
t
e
s
o
u
t
s
i
d
e
t
h
e
p
a
r
k
(
K
4
9
+
9
0
)
P
o
r
t
a
l
o
f
T
i
a
n
p
i
n
g
s
h
a
n
t
u
n
e
l
P
i
n
g
t
u
N
o
.
2
B
r
i
d
g
e
E
x
i
s
t
i
n
g
a
c
c
e
s
s
r
o
a
d
T
i
n
g
j
i
a
n
g
c
r
e
e
k
i
n
t
h
e
Page  12
12
 
Table 4 - Nature Reserves in Project Corridor
 
Name of natural reverse 
Area 
(ha) 
Main protection object 
Location relation with the 
railway line 
Arha Reservoir Natural 
Reserve(City level) 
19000 Water 
resources 
1.5 km
 
Duyun Doupengshan water 
conservation forest Natural 
Reserve(County level) 
4233 
Water conservation forest and rare 
wild animals and plants  
2 km
 
Guiding Doupengshan water 
conservation forest Natural 
Reserve (County level) 
2038 
Subtropical evergreen 
broad-leaved 
deciduous forest
and rare animals and 
plants  
2 km
 
Duyun Luosike water 
conservation forest Natural 
Reserve(county level) 
4500 Water 
conservation 
forest 
1km
 
Huaping Natural Reserve 
(national level) 
17400 
Silver fir and typical evergreen 
broad-
leaved forest
ecological system 
1km
 
Haiyangshan Natural 
Reserve(provincial level) 
90400 
Monsoon evergreen broad-leaved 
forest, water conservation forest 
300m
 
Shoucheng Natural Reserve 
(provincial level) 
75900 
Monsoon evergreen broad-leaved 
forest, water conservation forest 
K366+800-K383+100 will 
pass through by tunnels, 
subgrade and bridges 
Yindianshan Natural Reserve 
(provincial level) 
48000 
Monsoon evergreen broad-leaved 
forest, water conservation forest 
Railway line is out of reserve 
boundary, and agreed with 
reserve authority. 
.
Table 5 - Forest Parks in the Railway Corridor 
Name of 
Forest Park 
Area 
(Ha) 
General situation and main scenic araes 
Location relation with the railway line 
Changpoling 
Forest Park 
1075 
Five scenic areass; Yinghua lake, woods and 
grassland, Duxi Wood Yard; two ethnic villages. 
100m
 
Longjiashan 
Forest Park 
2031
 
The park is composed of three view scenic areas, 
Longjiashan, Houzigou and Xiangshuihe 
K37
524.68
-K41+000 section crosses 
Longjiashan scenic area and K45+850-
K48+100 section crosses Xiangshuihe 
scenic area 
Qingyunfu 
Forest Park 
2980
 
The park covers Qingyunhu scenic spot, 
Shimenhu scenic spot and Luosike scenic spot 
2 km
 
Yangshuo 
National 
Forest Park 
3391
 
There are more than 10 gorges, 26 brooks and 19 
waterfalls of different sizes in the park 
K475+416-K476+153.05 section crosses 
the southwestern edge of the forest park 
All crossings of reserves and parks were consulted and agreed with management authorities. For instance, a 
report requested by the Guanxi Forestry Bureau on the impacts on the reserve was completed in March 2008. 
Based on this study, reviewed by a panel of experts organized by the Bureau, the Bureau agreed with the 
selected alignment and requested additional mitigation measures, all complied with, such as: 
·
50
affected 
Cibotium barometzs
 shall be transplanted in nearby similar environment 
·
Spoils will be disposed of in pre-identified disposal sites outside the reserve, a retaining 
wall shall be constructed to fence the spoil area, and trees shall be planted for reclamation 
·
Native species (fir, moso bamboo, 
Castanopsis carlesii, Castanopsis eyrei
,
etc.) shall be 
selected to restore vegetation along the construction access roads 
·
Full enclosure will be adopted on bridges (581.8m) and subgrade (413.18m) sections 
within the natural reserves to minimize noise impacts 
Page  13
13
·
Strengthen publicity and education on protection of wild animals to prevent construction 
personnel from killing wild animals, and to protect habitats. 
 
Scenic Areas
.
There are 7 scenic areas (Table 6) of various levels in the corridor. The final alignment will 
pass only through the three of them: Rongjiang Gurong Scenic Area, Congjiang Scenic Area and the Liping 
Scenic Area.. Special aspects of the crossings of these three scenic areas are presented in Box 2 a, b, and c.  
 
Table 6 - Scenic Areas in Railway Corridor 
Name of scenic area
Area 
(ha) 
General situation and scenic spot 
Location relation with the railway line 
Doupengshan-
Jianjiang (National 
level) 
6180 
It is a virgin forest, with 
ridges and peaks, 
gorges, solution cavities, brooks and 
waterfalls 
1 km
 
Luobeihe  
(Provincial level) 
A
natural ecological paradise on the 
banks of Luobei River 
1 km
 
Duliujiang 
(Provincial level) 
A
natural ecological paradise on the 
banks of Duliu River, with steep and 
green mountains 
100 m
 
Rongjiang Gurong 
(Provincial level) 
22000 
There are hundreds of ancient banyans 
planted during Qianlong Period in the 
scenic area, which forms a dike-dam 
K
213+900-K219+300 crosses Sanbao 
1000-household Dong Village Scenic spot 
K220+860-K230+450 
crosses Zaidang Dong 
Village Dage Scenic spot 
Congjiang  
(Provincial level) 
12200 
Basha scenic spot, Yintan scenic spot, 
Xiaohuang sc
enic spot, Zengchong scenic 
area  
K
272+500-K276+700 section crosses 
Longtu Scenic Spot 
Liping  
45000 
There mainly are Zhaoxing and Diping 
scenic spots 
K276+280-K283+200 section crosses 
Zhaoxing-Diping scenic spot 
Guilin-Lijiang  
6767 
Lijiang River landscape, Xiangbi hill, 
Diecai hill, Fubo hill, Duxiu peak, Ludi 
Cave, Qixing Cave etc. 
Railway line is outside the Guilin-Lijiang 
Scenic Area according to the amended plan, 
and is in consistency with planning 
requirements of Guilin city. 
Karst Areas and Caves
A
special study to assess potential impacts on karst caves was commissioned.
4
Of a total of 68 caves within 
300 meters of the railway alignment, the project will pass through only one cave (Longshan Cave, 
K560+520m). Two other caves were may receive wastewater from construction though the caves themselves 
will not be physically affected. A biological survey was carried out for ten caves, including the caves 
mentioned above; the other caves will not be directly affected by the construction. The Longshan cave (Box 
3) is full of water and will be divided into two sections by the tunnel and the water will be redirected so that 
one side of the cave will remain dry
.
There are no protected or unknown species in this cave. In a regional 
context, partial loss of water ecology in this cave will not have impact on regional aquatic biodiversity.  
Furthermore, the GRL will not result in obvious impact on karst cave biodiversity in the region. It is 
estimated that around 10,000 to 20,000 caves can be found in the Guizhou and Guangxi area with similar 
ecological environment. The project will affect one cave with no special biodiversity, cultural or aesthetic 
value. In spite of this, 
additional 
biodiversity investigations will be carried out before construction. Special 
measures for cave protection during construction have been designed and will be strictly enforced (Box 4).
 
4
“
Environmental Assessment Report About Effects Of The Overseas Loaned Railway-Building From Guiyang to Guangzho: An 
Investigating Report About Caves
”;  School of Geography and Biological Science, Guizhou Normal Universit - China Railway 
Eryuan Engineering Group Co. Ltd. August, 2008 
 
Page  14
1
4
B
o
x
2
a
.
R
o
n
g
j
i
a
n
g
G
u
r
o
n
g
S
c
e
n
i
c
A
r
e
a
.
T
h
e
r
a
i
l
w
a
y
l
i
n
e
w
i
l
l
p
a
s
s
t
h
r
o
u
g
h
t
h
e
S
a
n
b
a
o
1
0
0
0
-
h
o
u
s
e
h
o
l
d
D
o
n
g
V
i
l
l
a
g
e
s
u
b
-
a
r
e
a
(
5
6
6
k
m
2
)
a
n
d
Z
a
i
d
a
n
g
D
o
n
g
z
h
a
i
D
a
g
e
s
u
b
-
a
r
e
a
(
5
0
k
m
2
)
.
T
h
e
s
e
t
w
o
a
r
e
a
s
f
e
a
t
u
r
e
i
m
p
o
r
t
a
n
t
D
o
n
g
v
i
l
l
a
g
e
b
u
i
l
d
i
n
g
s
a
n
d
D
o
n
g
c
u
l
t
u
r
a
l
a
c
t
i
v
i
t
i
e
s
,
a
s
w
e
l
l
a
s
o
l
d
b
a
n
y
a
n
t
r
e
e
s
.
T
h
e
a
l
i
g
n
m
e
n
t
s
e
c
t
i
o
n
w
i
t
h
i
n
t
h
i
s
a
r
e
a
i
s
5
.
7
k
m
,
i
n
c
l
u
d
i
n
g
t
h
e
G
a
o
x
i
n
g
T
u
n
n
e
l
,
G
u
i
y
u
a
n
h
e
B
r
i
d
g
e
,
Y
u
e
z
h
a
i
T
u
n
n
e
l
,
Z
h
a
i
h
a
o
h
e
B
r
i
d
g
e
,
R
o
n
g
j
i
a
n
g
S
t
a
t
i
o
n
,
a
n
d
t
h
e
e
n
t
r
a
n
c
e
p
o
r
t
o
f
Y
a
n
s
h
a
n
T
u
n
n
e
l
.
T
h
e
a
l
i
g
n
m
e
n
t
w
i
t
h
i
n
Z
a
i
d
a
n
g
D
o
n
g
z
h
a
i
D
a
g
e
s
u
b
-
a
r
e
a
i
s
9
.
5
9
k
m
l
o
n
g
,
m
a
i
n
l
y
t
h
r
o
u
g
h
t
h
e
Y
a
n
s
h
a
n
T
u
n
n
e
l
.
A
l
t
h
o
u
g
h
t
h
e
a
l
i
g
n
m
e
n
t
f
a
l
l
s
i
n
t
o
t
h
e
b
o
u
n
d
a
r
y
o
f
t
h
e
s
c
e
n
i
c
a
r
e
a
,
i
t
a
v
o
i
d
s
t
h
e
k
e
y
s
c
e
n
i
c
a
r
e
a
s
i
n
t
h
e
a
r
e
a
w
i
t
h
d
i
s
t
a
n
c
e
s
b
e
t
w
e
e
n
1
a
n
d
3
k
m
,
e
x
c
e
p
t
i
n
t
h
e
S
a
n
b
a
o
1
0
0
0
-
h
o
u
s
e
h
o
l
d
D
o
n
g
V
i
l
l
a
g
e
s
u
b
-
a
r
e
a
,
w
h
e
r
e
t
h
e
a
l
i
g
n
m
e
n
t
h
a
s
b
e
e
n
s
h
i
f
t
e
d
5
0
m
a
w
a
y
f
r
o
m
t
h
e
o
l
d
b
a
n
y
a
n
t
r
e
e
s
o
n
t
h
e
r
i
v
e
r
b
a
n
k
.
T
h
e
r
e
l
a
t
i
o
n
b
e
t
w
e
e
n
t
h
e
r
a
i
l
w
a
y
a
n
d
t
h
e
s
c
e
n
i
c
a
r
e
a
i
s
s
h
o
w
n
o
n
t
h
e
r
i
g
h
t
.
D
o
n
g
A
r
c
h
i
t
e
c
t
u
r
e
B
o
x
2
b
.
C
o
n
g
j
i
a
n
g
S
c
e
n
i
c
A
r
e
a
.
T
h
e
a
r
e
a
i
s
l
o
c
a
t
e
d
w
i
t
h
i
n
C
o
n
g
j
i
a
n
g
C
o
u
n
t
y
i
n
t
h
e
2
B
o
x
2
c
.
L
i
p
i
n
g
D
o
n
g
x
i
a
n
g
S
c
e
n
i
c
A
r
e
a
.
T
h
e
L
i
p
i
n
g
D
o
n
g
x
i
a
n
g
S
c
e
n
i
c
O
l
d
B
a
n
y
a
n
T
r
e
e
s
L
o
c
a
t
i
o
n
o
f
R
o
n
g
j
i
a
n
g
S
t
a
t
i
o
n
Page  15
1
5
S
o
u
t
h
e
a
s
t
A
u
t
o
n
o
m
o
u
s
P
r
e
f
e
c
t
u
r
e
o
f
G
u
i
z
h
o
u
P
r
o
v
i
n
c
e
.
I
t
h
a
s
a
n
a
r
e
a
o
f
1
2
2
k
m
2
,
w
i
t
h
2
3
v
i
l
l
a
g
e
s
a
n
d
f
o
u
r
s
c
e
n
i
c
s
u
b
-
a
r
e
a
s
(
Z
e
n
g
c
h
o
n
g
G
u
l
o
u
,
Y
a
n
t
a
n
-
X
i
a
o
h
u
a
n
g
D
o
n
g
V
i
l
l
a
g
e
,
L
o
n
g
t
u
,
a
n
d
D
u
l
i
u
j
i
a
n
g
)
.
T
h
e
k
e
y
f
e
a
t
u
r
e
s
a
r
e
D
o
n
g
e
t
h
n
i
c
m
i
n
o
r
i
t
y
b
u
i
l
d
i
n
g
s
,
c
u
l
t
u
r
a
l
t
r
a
d
i
t
i
o
n
a
n
d
l
a
n
d
s
c
a
p
e
w
h
i
c
h
a
r
e
s
u
i
t
a
b
l
e
f
o
r
c
u
l
t
u
r
a
l
a
n
d
e
c
o
-
t
o
u
r
i
s
m
a
s
w
e
l
l
a
s
r
e
s
e
a
r
c
h
o
n
e
t
h
n
i
c
c
u
l
t
u
r
e
.
T
h
e
l
i
n
e
(
K
2
7
2
+
5
0
0
-
K
2
7
6
+
7
0
0
)
w
i
l
l
c
r
o
s
s
t
h
e
L
o
n
g
t
u
s
u
b
-
a
r
e
a
b
y
b
r
i
d
g
e
s
,
c
u
l
v
e
r
t
s
,
a
n
d
t
u
n
n
e
l
s
,
a
n
d
t
h
e
C
o
n
g
j
i
a
n
g
S
t
a
t
i
o
n
w
i
l
l
b
e
c
o
n
s
t
r
u
c
t
e
d
w
i
t
h
i
n
t
h
e
s
c
e
n
i
c
a
r
e
a
.
T
h
e
c
r
o
s
s
i
n
g
l
e
n
g
t
h
i
n
t
h
e
s
c
e
n
i
c
a
r
e
a
w
i
l
l
b
e
a
b
o
u
t
4
.
2
k
m
,
a
m
o
n
g
w
h
i
c
h
t
h
e
g
r
o
u
n
d
s
e
c
t
i
o
n
s
a
r
e
2
.
6
6
k
m
l
o
n
g
,
a
c
c
o
u
n
t
i
n
g
f
o
r
6
3
.
3
%
i
n
t
h
e
t
o
t
a
l
l
e
n
g
t
h
t
h
r
o
u
g
h
t
h
e
s
c
e
n
i
c
a
r
e
a
.
T
h
e
L
o
n
g
t
u
s
u
b
-
a
r
e
a
h
a
s
a
t
o
t
a
l
a
r
e
a
o
f
1
9
k
m
2
,
w
i
t
h
1
2
s
c
e
n
i
c
a
r
e
a
s
o
f
o
l
d
b
u
i
l
d
i
n
g
s
,
k
a
r
s
t
c
a
v
e
s
a
n
d
c
u
l
t
u
r
a
l
a
c
t
i
v
i
t
i
e
s
.
T
h
e
r
a
i
l
w
a
y
a
l
i
g
n
m
e
n
t
a
v
o
i
d
s
a
l
l
t
h
e
s
e
s
c
e
n
i
c
a
r
e
a
s
,
w
i
t
h
d
i
s
t
a
n
c
e
o
f
o
v
e
r
1
k
m
.
T
h
e
n
e
a
r
e
s
t
s
c
e
n
i
c
s
p
o
t
,
i
.
e
.
L
i
a
n
g
w
e
i
g
a
n
T
o
m
b
,
i
s
2
3
6
m
a
w
a
y
f
r
o
m
t
h
e
r
a
i
l
w
a
y
a
l
i
g
n
m
e
n
t
.
T
h
e
p
r
o
p
o
s
e
d
l
o
c
a
t
i
o
n
f
o
r
t
h
e
C
o
n
g
j
i
a
n
g
S
t
a
t
i
o
n
c
o
m
p
r
i
s
e
s
a
g
r
i
c
u
l
t
u
r
a
l
f
a
r
m
l
a
n
d
s
w
i
t
h
i
n
t
e
n
s
i
v
e
h
u
m
a
n
a
c
t
i
v
i
t
i
e
s
a
n
d
a
c
o
n
v
e
n
i
e
n
t
r
o
a
d
n
e
t
w
o
r
k
f
o
r
c
o
n
n
e
c
t
i
o
n
s
t
o
t
h
e
t
e
r
m
i
n
a
l
.
T
h
e
l
o
c
a
t
i
o
n
w
a
s
s
e
l
e
c
t
e
d
t
h
r
o
u
g
h
c
o
n
s
u
l
t
a
t
i
o
n
w
i
t
h
l
o
c
a
l
g
o
v
e
r
n
m
e
n
t
a
n
d
i
s
i
n
l
i
n
e
w
i
t
h
t
h
e
o
v
e
r
a
l
l
m
a
s
t
e
r
t
o
u
r
i
s
m
p
l
a
n
o
f
t
h
e
a
r
e
a
.
A
r
e
a
w
a
s
l
i
s
t
e
d
b
y
t
h
e
S
t
a
t
e
C
o
u
n
c
i
l
a
s
o
n
e
o
f
t
h
e
5
t
h
b
a
t
c
h
o
f
n
a
t
i
o
n
a
l
k
e
y
s
c
e
n
i
c
a
r
e
a
s
i
n
J
a
n
u
a
r
y
2
0
0
4
.
W
i
t
h
a
t
o
t
a
l
o
f
1
5
3
k
m
2
,
t
h
e
s
c
e
n
i
c
a
r
e
a
i
s
d
i
v
i
d
e
d
i
n
t
o
t
h
e
f
o
u
r
s
c
e
n
i
c
s
i
t
e
s
o
f
Z
h
a
o
x
i
n
g
-
D
i
p
i
n
g
,
B
a
z
h
a
i
-
J
i
u
c
h
a
o
,
Y
a
n
d
o
n
g
-
K
o
u
j
i
a
n
g
a
n
d
T
i
a
n
s
h
e
n
g
q
i
a
o
-
B
a
z
h
o
u
h
e
,
p
l
u
s
t
h
e
s
c
e
n
i
c
c
o
m
m
u
n
i
t
y
o
f
L
i
p
i
n
g
Q
i
a
o
j
i
e
,
A
n
c
i
e
n
t
B
u
i
l
d
i
n
g
S
t
r
u
c
t
u
r
e
s
a
n
d
t
w
o
i
n
d
e
p
e
n
d
e
n
t
s
c
e
n
i
c
a
r
e
a
s
o
f
S
h
a
n
g
z
h
o
n
g
a
n
d
H
o
n
g
z
h
o
u
.
T
h
e
m
a
i
n
f
e
a
t
u
r
e
s
o
f
t
h
e
S
c
e
n
i
c
A
r
e
a
a
r
e
w
e
l
l
-
p
r
e
s
e
r
v
e
d
D
o
n
g
e
t
h
n
i
c
m
i
n
o
r
i
t
y
v
i
l
l
a
g
e
s
,
c
u
l
t
u
r
e
s
a
n
d
h
i
s
t
o
r
i
c
a
l
h
e
r
i
t
a
g
e
s
a
n
d
n
a
t
u
r
a
l
e
n
v
i
r
o
n
m
e
n
t
.
T
h
e
r
a
i
l
w
a
y
l
i
n
e
w
i
l
l
c
r
o
s
s
t
h
i
s
a
r
e
a
b
y
t
h
e
1
2
0
3
0
m
l
o
n
g
L
u
o
x
i
a
n
g
T
u
n
n
e
l
.
T
h
e
e
n
t
r
a
n
c
e
t
o
t
h
e
t
u
n
n
e
l
w
i
l
l
b
e
l
o
c
a
t
e
d
o
u
t
s
i
d
e
t
h
e
s
c
e
n
i
c
a
r
e
a
,
a
n
d
t
h
e
c
r
o
s
s
i
n
g
l
e
n
g
t
h
o
f
t
h
e
r
a
i
l
w
a
y
l
i
n
e
w
i
t
h
i
n
t
h
e
s
c
e
n
i
c
a
r
e
a
w
i
l
l
b
e
6
.
4
k
m
(
K
2
7
6
+
2
8
0
-
K
2
8
3
+
2
0
0
)
.
N
o
t
u
n
n
e
l
s
h
a
f
t
o
r
s
p
o
i
l
a
r
e
a
w
i
l
l
b
e
s
i
t
e
d
w
i
t
h
i
n
t
h
e
s
c
e
n
i
c
a
r
e
a
.
L
o
c
a
t
i
o
n
o
f
C
o
n
g
j
i
a
n
g
S
t
a
t
i
o
n
D
o
n
g
v
i
l
l
a
g
e
s
a
n
d
r
e
l
a
t
i
o
n
w
i
t
h
L
u
o
x
i
a
n
g
T
u
n
n
e
l
Page  16
16
Box 4-  Measures for Protecting Karst Caves during the Construction Period
\03
If any previously unidentified karst cave is detected in the process of construction of the railway, the construction unit must stop its 
work immediately to protect the scene, report it in time to the local Administrative Department of National Land along with other 
departments, entrust the professional personnel to conduct an animal diversity investigation and geological survey, and cannot proceed 
with construction until adoption of certain protective measures. 
Efforts are to be made in terms of education. Prior to construction of the railway, an education activity on environmental protection is to 
be carried out for the building personnel and simultaneously, education on laws and regulations on protection of wildlife such as the 
Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Wildlife is to be conducted for the local communities. 
Impact of human activities on the wildlife is to be reduced. Strict construction routes and areas are to be established to reduce 
disturbance and damage to the environment as far as possible.  
Illegal wildlife trade activities are to be severely penalized to reduce damage to the population resources of some national Animals 
under Key Protection. For protection of the species, it shall be strictly prohibited to illegally hunt, catch and kill those species protected 
by the State or provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions. Those people in violation of the stipulations shall be prosecuted.  
During the project construction period, management and education shall be particularly strengthened for construction personnel to 
reduce or put an end to the artificial catching and killing activities in the process of animal migration due to the project activities.
\03
Protection of habitats: One of the most powerful measures for protection of the wildlife is to protect habitats of the wildlife. In a sense, 
protection of habitats is equal to protection of the wildlife.  
The construction personnel shall be prohibited from entering those karst caves fairly near to the construction site but not crossed by the 
railway line, so as to avoid impact on the habitat environment of animals in the karst caves.
\03
Box 3 The Longshan Cave
:
The cave is located in Shengping Village of Zhongshan County, Guangxi province. It is a cave with much 
water and a stream going through. The first opening is a culvert through which the stream flows into the cave. The culvert is too narrow 
for people to get in. The second opening faces 10
o
northwest. The cave is situated at the foot of Long Mountain, with its branch opening 
3m high, 8m wide and an arc in shape. Its elevation is 145m. Non-material cultural heritage like cave frescos or Paleozoic fossils has 
not been found 
 
The first and second openings 
The exit opening
 
Page  17
17
Physical Cultural Resources
.
The project will not adversely affect any physical cultural resources. A 
cultural resources survey was conducted for all project sites, lead by local archeological institutes, combined 
with consultation with local cultural property management authorities and general public, and complemented 
by field surveys during EA preparation. A total of 10 cultural property sites were identified, and the 
alignment was shifted to avoid 9 of them (Table 7). The alignment will pass through the Gulou-Lianhua 
Ancient Tombs Area.  
Table 7 - 
Cultural Properties along the Railway Line 
Name 
Protection Area 
Construction control 
boundary 
Relation with railway 
alignment 
Shengquan Spring 
(Municipal level) 
/
/
10m north out of the 
construction control 
boundary 
Liangweigan Tomb 
(County level) 
The area from the centre  
of the tomb until 30m outward 
Extension of 20m based on 
the boundary of the protection 
area 
236m north of control 
boundary 
Designated area within 
Beijietouling of Wutong Town  
Same with the protection area
10m north out of the 
construction control area 
Wutong Ancient Tomb 
Forest 
(Provincial level) 
Designated area within Niuling 
of Zhongyong Township 
Same with the protection area
3km south out of the 
construction control area 
Jingjiang King 
Mausoleum 
(national level) 
Within 25m from the outer 
boundary wall of the Mausoleum 
or 50m outward from the centre 
of the Mausoleum 
Extension of 15m based on 
the boundary of the protection 
area 
more than 200m away from 
the construction control 
area 
Gulou-Lianhua Ancient 
Tombs Area 
 (County level) 
The area reaches Mailing and 
Huangjiang in the south, Sanlian 
Village, Chiling in the north, 
within 5m of the boundary for 
sealing forest and cultivated land.
Extension of 5m based on the 
boundary of the protection 
area 
K556+100-K556+700 
section cross by 
embankment 
Lianhua Theatrical Stage
(provincial level) 
The area cover 10m outward 
from the boundary wall 
Same with the protection area
110m north out of the 
construction control area 
Longgui Temple of 
Lianhua Village 
(County level) 
The area cover 10m outward 
from the boundary wall 
Same with the protection area
110m north out of the 
construction control area 
Shaping Longgui Temple 
(County level) 
The area cover 10m outward 
from the boundary wall 
Same with the protection area
75m north out of the 
construction control area 
Huangtian Ancient 
Theatrical Stage 
(Municipal level) 
Area reaches the eastern end of 
the boundary wall of   Huangtian 
Chemical Plant in the eastnd 
southern side of the boundary 
wall of Huangtian Chemical 
Plant in the south. 
Other part rather than the 
protection scope within the 
boundary wall of Huangtian 
Chemical Plant 
150m north out of the 
construction control area 
Gulou-Lianhua Ancient Tombs Area.
An embankment of 600 meters on the east side of the Siqin River will 
cross the protection area at K556+100-K556+700. The Cultural Relics Protection Unit is located at the west 
foot of the eastern mountain ridges stretching from Longyan Village of Honghua Township to Sanlian 
Village of Lia
ng’an Township in Zhongshan County. It is composed of more than 200 tombs of local 
inhabitants from Han Dynasty to the period of six dynasties. It was ranked as a Cultural Relics Protection 
Unit at the county level in July 1980. 
Historical data implies that there should potentially be around 200 tombs of local inhabitants from the Han 
Dynasty to the period of six dynasties scattered around the terraces on both sides of Siqin River. However, 
field surveys did not find any ground evidence exists for these ancient tombs due to frequent human activities 
in the surrounding areas.
 
Page  18
18
The Cultural Relic Bureau of Zhongshan County, the property
’s management authority, issued an official 
document 
“Statement on Cultural Relics in the Section within Zhongshan County of Guiyang-Guangzhou 
Railway”
,
confirming that: no known tombs will be impacted by the project and that the project will not have 
serious impact on the relics. However, the Bureau requested the following mitigation measures to be 
implemented to minimize the adverse impact. These measures have been incorporated in the EMP (Box 5) 
Box 5 
–
Mitigation Measures for the Gulou-Lianhua Ancient Tombs Area 
z
A
detailed investigation will be carried 
out prior to commencement of 
construction by Zhongshan County 
Cultural Relics Bureau, with funding 
from the project budget. Protection and 
preservation of any valuable relics 
found will be carried out if necessary 
following the conclusion of the 
professional investigation team. 
z
Chance-find procedures in EMP will be 
enforced during construction, as 
required by China Cultural Property 
Law. 
z
Construction workers will be provided 
education on cultural property 
protection and chance-find procedures
.
Water Resources Protection Areas
:
There are over 30 water resources protection areas (drinking water 
intakes) along the corridor. The alignment has been shifted to avoid these areas as much as possible. As a 
result, the final alignment avoided most of the areas, and will pass through the protection area or semi-
protection area of only four water protection areas: Gongcheng River Class I Source Beijiang River, 
Dongping Waterway, and Guangzhou.  Water intakes in these areas are located upstream or at considerable 
distances from proposed railway bridges. Run-off and sediment control measures during construction will be 
strictly enforced.  
Community Impacts 
Community impacts are mainly related with (i) land acquisition, relocation of houses, and livelihood 
impacts; (ii) impacts on ethnic minorities; (iii) impacts on community infrastructure; (iv) noise and vibration 
impacts; and (v) safety and connectivity especially in rural areas; and (iv) nuisances from construction. 
Resettlement Impacts
.
Minimizing land acquisition and resettlement to the extent possible has also been a 
key criterion for alignment selection during the feasibility and EA studies. Considerable efforts have been 
made to achieve this objective, including adoption of tunnel and bridge schemes for about 75% of the line, 
and alternative analysis for several sections. In some areas, the final alignments have further reduced land 
acquisition by about 53 ha and resettlement of 40,000 m
2
of housing. Locations for terminals, borrow pits, 
disposal sites were carefully studied to minimize potential land acquisition and resettlement. 
Despite efforts to minimize this impact, the final alignment will affect 226 villages in 87 townships of 26 
counties in Guizhou, Guangxi and Guangdong. Total land acquisition will be 2,174 ha, including 1252 ha of 
cultivated land. In addition, about 1,606 ha of land will be temporarily occupied during construction. Around 
7,916 households and 32,439 persons as well as a number of enterprises and shops will need to be relocated 
Page  19
19
(Table 8). The cities of Guilin and Foshan comprise close to 60% of all resettlement needs. Since all 
resettlement plans will be managed individually at the city level, complex or unmanageable situations are not 
expected to rise during resettlement implementation. For a linear project with the length of the Guiguang 
railway, the resettlement needs are only around 9 households per kilometer. Although the total number of 
affected households seems large, the resettlement in each city along is not considered highly significant. 
Table 8 - Distribution of Resettlement Impacts along the Railway Line 
City 
Households affected 
Affected Persons 
Guizhou Province 
1602 
7428 
Guiyang 480 
2493 
Qiannan 654 
2837 
Qiandongnan 468 
2098 
Guangxi Province 
3225 
13514 
Liuzhou 498 
2117 
Guilin 1863 
7303 
Hezhou 864 
4094 
Guangdong Province 
3089 
11497 
Zhaoqin 945 
4093 
Foshan 1912 
6633 
Guangzhou 232 
771 
Total 7916 
32439 
An estimated total of 63,164 persons will lose land. Impacts from land acquisition and resettlement include 
loss of land, restriction to livelihood activities, temporary loss of agricultural production, loss of house or 
family/productive facilities, loss of quality of life during the transition period, loss of community ties and 
long-term restoration of livelihood.  
Land acquisition and resettlement impact can be substantial and have been adequately addressed through a 
Resettlement Plan (RP). As a result, those displaced by the project will be relocated and fully compensated 
so that no net loss of livelihood and income generating capabilities will result. The main components of the 
RP are: 
·
Livelihood Development
.
The RP includes measures for livelihood restoration for the affected 
farmers and workers/business owners. The project will affected 63164 farmers for which two types 
of measures are designed. The first rests with cash compensation for the affected farmers who lose 
less than 10 percent of their farmland; the second goes to land redistribution and/or cash 
compensation for those who lose more land. Land compensation set in the RP will be disbursed to 
the affected villages prior to any land taking. All the measures can be decided by meeting by villager 
representatives in the land taking process. In addition, they also can receive job training from the 
township government. In addition to compensation for assets and relocation costs, the RP includes a 
transitional subsidy covering any lost wages or profits during relocation. These enterprises are 
expected to relocate in nearby industrial parks and the shops can reopen nearby with full 
compensation. All workers/business owners are expected to maintain their present employment with 
enterprises or shops.  If any workers were to lose employment because of the relocation, they would 
be informed three months in advance. Structures, equipments, movement allowance and transition 
subsidies are paid according to commercial evaluation.
 
·
Household Relocation.
The RP indicated that 7916 households in 226 villages/communities are to 
be relocated. They will be paid at replacement price defined in the RP to ensure their house 
rehabilitation on residential land provided with adequate public facilities by local governments. 
Urban households will purchase their new dwelling in a booming local real estate market, with their 
Page  20
20
house compensation based on commercial evaluation price. Both are also receiving movement 
allowance and transition subsidies. Vulnerable households are entitled to obtain additional assistance 
from local governments. 
·
Restoration of Community Infrastructure
.
Community infrastructure such as roads, canals, power 
lines, telecommunication lines, television reception, etc. damaged during project construction will be 
restored. Restoration of large facilities, like power and telecommunication, will be paid to local 
sector authorities; simple facilities, like paths, small canals, will be restored by contractors. 
Individual facilities will be contracted to their owners. Budget for restoration has been integrated into 
the project costs and will be supervised under by the resettlement supervision and monitoring.  
Ethnic Minorities
.
The proposed railway line will significantly promote the economic development of 
ethnic minority areas by providing convenient accessibility to and from outside the regions, promoting 
mobility of both passenger and commodity, stimulating tourism, improving infrastructure and creating 
employment opportunities. There is broad support from all ethnic minority areas for the railway project, as 
the project is seen as a unique and indeed rare opportunity for much needed economic development.   
Despite these significant positive benefits, the project may also bring about potentially serious social and 
cultural impacts, including damage of culturally valuable buildings and landscape, worker activities in 
conflict with local cultural tradition, cultural impact from induced increase of tourists, etc. Introduction of 
large numbers of construction workers into the ethnic minority areas will have the potential to create social 
disturbance due to conflicts with cultural and social customs. If not well-managed, such impact may result in 
significant social issues in the local area and could potentially lead to a major delay in project construction. 
Alignment selection has avoided damage to local village buildings and special design of terminals and 
railway infrastructures will be consistent with ethnic minority culture and styles. Therefore, impacts on 
buildings and landscape will be insignificant, and, to some extent, even enhanced. Construction camps will 
adopt closed management approach, as commonly adopted in China, and workers will receive sensitivity 
training to respect and value ethnic minority cultures. Therefore, cultural conflict impacts from construction 
workers can be managed, and the impact will not be significant
.
Box 6 summarizes the recommended actions 
to mitigate the adverse impacts and enhance positive impacts on affected ethnic minority communities. 
Box 6 - Mitigation and Enhancement Actions for Ethnic Communities 
·
Railway stations in their own counties
:
Local ethnic communities along the corridor have been lobbying hard to 
have terminals in their county, as they understand that such close proximity to a station will positively influence 
their local economic development. The alignment has been selected to provide a terminal to each minority county. 
·
Careful resettlement planning and implementation
:
Resettlement planning engaged full participation from the 
affected minority communities and households on resettlement impacts, relocation schemes and compensation. 
Special measures have been developed for impacts on drinking water source and tombs of minority villages. 
·
Consultation:
 continue the consultation process during project implementation and operation stage. The MPP 
covers a consultation plan. 
·
Handling minority cultural concerns:
 their traditional culture and custom is respected throughout the project 
implementation phase. As an example, ancestral tombs, house styles, etc., are expected to be protected. 
·
Building access to the railway:
 In addition to restoring damaged local roads by the project construction, local 
governments will coordinate with project management to build temporary construction roads with considering local 
road development programs, and to provide adequate access to the railway.  
·
Tourism development in ethnic minority areas
:
county and township governments will obtain some funds to 
prepare/update tourism plan. Communities directly manage tourism activities by households in the village, 
especially guesthouses. Communities would select themselves those aspects of their culture that they wish to share 
with visitors.   
·
Capacity building
 to strengthen community capacity for negotiation and management could be improved in the 
resettlement process and in the future development. 
·
Training for minority communities:
 in addition to sensitivity training to local officials and workers, minority 
communities will also provided training, for instance, on tourism management and productive skills. 
Page  21
21
Noise and Vibration Impacts
.
The construction and operation of the GRL have the potential to increase 
noise and ground-borne vibration in nearby sensitive land uses. Such increases can cause undesirable effects 
on people, animals, and structures. The principal source of existing noise in urban areas is vehicular traffic. 
In most of the corridor, adjacent land uses are exposed to very low to moderate noise levels.  
 
Chinese specified models (TJH 2006, No. 44 Document) for noise and vibration impact criteria were used to 
assess impacts at sensitive sites near the proposed alignments. The assessment identified 304 sensitive points, 
including 261 residential areas, 41 schools and 2 hospitals. Current noise level monitoring has been 
conducted for all sensitive sites. 
Noise and vibration pollution control measures (noise barriers, encasing bridges, strengthening of glass 
windows, etc.) have been identified in all critical sensitive points along the line. These measures will be 
complemented with Right-of-Way zoning restrictions which will be enforced by townships and cities. These 
measures have been incorporated in project design and budget. 
Under the basis of laying jointless tracks, the assessment report proposes to lay resilient sleepers at vibration 
sensitive point with vibration forecast value exceeding 80dB, which can reduce railway vibration more than 
3dB. The forecast value of railway vibration at all sensitive point shall be kept less than 80dB. 
Safety and Community Severance
.
Urban master plans as well as environmental protection plans for all 
cities and counties were carefully studied to determine the railway alignment. For major cities such as 
Guiyang, Duyun, Guilin, Hezhou and Zhaoqing, alternatives were thoroughly compared in terms of 
compatibility with existing urban planning. In addition, intensive consultation with local governments was 
carried out thus the final selection and determination of alignment and station locations are fully compatible 
with urban planning and supported by local governments. 
Safety is a major concern for the operation of high-speed railway line. In this regards, the Gui-Guang railway 
line will be fully fenced to restrict random access of pedestrians, animals, or vehicles to the railway tracks. 
This will effectively minimize the potential accidents of random railway crossing. 
Impacts from a fully-fenced operation of the line -cross traffic and social severance- were fully considered 
during project design. All local road crossings are designed with interchanges. A total of 303 interchanges, 
21 pedestrian overpasses and 15 underpasses, and more than 900 culverts are designed, in close consultation 
with local communities. With these designs, the impact on local traffic, community severance, and 
agricultural irrigation systems will be effectively minimized 
 
Construction Impacts 
 
Construction of the GRL will cause temporary impacts to the surrounding environment. Typical short-term 
construction impacts could include noise, vibration, air quality, and water quality. If properly planned, 
construction impacts to neighborhoods, businesses, and the natural environment can be minimized. Several 
aspects of construction have been received special attention such access roads, disposal of excess material 
from tunnel construction, and management of camps. 
Access Roads
:
Access roads will be required to provide access to the construction sites, tunnel entrances and 
exits, borrow pits, construction camps, waste disposal areas, mix plants, casting yards, etc. Existing rural 
road networks will be improved, particularly in sensitive areas. However, the need to accommodate large-
sized machinery will entail around 1183 km of road rehabilitation. Therefore, access roads will require 
careful design and construction in order to avoid typical impacts of roads such as soil erosion, slope stability 
problems, pedestrian safety, among many others. 
The EA report includes an analysis of necessary access roads to key points such as tunnel portal shafts. The 
Design Institutes has developed design and construction specifications for such roads to ensure that they are 
Page  22
22
environmentally sound. These specifications will be part of the Construction Contract documents. Access 
roads in environmental sensitive areas are particularly assessed, as summarized in Table 9. 
Table 9 - Access Roads in Ecological Sensitive Areas
 
Sensitive Areas 
Access Road Status 
Longjiashan National Forest 
Park 
Existing rural roads in the Park can be used as the construction access road. Camp 
and disposal site will be located on land outside the Park, therefore, the project 
occupies temporarily a small amount of land of the Park. 
Rongjiang Gurong Provincial-
level Scenic Spot 
Existing rural roads in the Park can be used as the construction access road. 
Congjiang Provincial-level 
Scenic Area 
Existing rural roads in the Park can be used as the construction access road. 
Shoucheng Natural Reserve 
The K381+775
—K383+100 is interconnected through existing rural roads 
The Tianpingshan Tunnel Exit needs 5km new access road occupies 2.0hm
2
.
Liping Dongxiang National-
level Scenic Area 
Existing rural roads around the Scenic Area can be used as the construction 
access road. 
Yangshuo National-Forest Park 
Existing roads in the Park can be used as the construction access road. 
Cultural Relics Protection Unit  
Gulou Lianhua Ancient Tombs 
Existing rural roads can be used as the construction access road. 
A
framework for dealing with new access roads will be part of bidding documents and contracts. The 
framework includes procedures and decision making criteria regarding new access roads that are identified 
during construction. Basic elements of the framework include: 
·
Contractors shall use existing roads as much as possible. Existing roads will be rehabilitated to meet 
MOR design standards, including erosion control, slope stabilization.  
·
After construction, all roads will be rehabilitated for community use. No new access roads will be 
approved in or through protected areas. 
·
Any new access road proposed by contractors will have to be reviewed and approved by the 
environmental supervision team of MOR. 
 
Disposal Sites
:
The project will generate significant amounts of excess material from tunnel construction 
even after using portions for construction purposes (embankment, base and sub-base). Over 346 disposal 
sites have already identified. All sites were screened for environmental and social issues (not in protected 
areas, not in scenic areas, not on flood plains, unstable areas) and mitigation measures identified. These 
criteria will be strictly enforced during construction. All sites will be enclosed with retaining wall, proper 
drainage and re-vegetated. 
 
Tunnel Works
.
240
tunnels will be constructed. Construction of tunnels will entail destruction of vegetation 
due to excavation of tunnel portals, large amounts of spoils, tunnel dewatering, and lowering local 
groundwater table. The potential impact from each tunnel has been assessed and mitigation and monitoring 
programs have been designed, including prior forecast, sealing with limited discharge, provision of back-up 
water sources for relevant communities. Groundwater levels and water supply systems will be closely 
monitored and budget for remedial actions has been included in project costs. 
 
Camps Locations and Management
:
The number and location of camps are not known yet. It will depend on 
Contractors
’
plans to manage their contracts and construction. Criteria for camp location have been identified 
and will be strictly enforced (scenic areas, sensitive areas, near vulnerable minority groups). Camp 
specifications include the type of facilities (adequate accommodations, water supply and sanitation, cooking 
facilities.) and the need for education and sensitivity programs on natural habitats, ethnic minorities and 
health.  
Page  23
23
 
Induced and Aesthetic Impacts
 
Induced Impacts
.
The railway will provide excellent opportunities for local development such as local 
business trade, transportation and construction, especially around the terminals. The project will also 
promote tourism in many counties with high potential because of Dong minority cultural and architecture 
values. Without planning, these changes could bring about congestion, increased waste and pollution, and 
threats to cultural resources. Impacts on large urban centers will be less significant since they will easily 
absorb these changes. MOR has maintained extensive dialogue with local governments. Alignment and 
location of terminals in urban and scenic areas meet restrictions and objectives of land use and scenic areas 
tourism plans. This dialogue will be maintained throughout the construction and operation periods. 
Aesthetic Impacts
.
The line will pass through three scenic areas and two forest parks with high aesthetic 
value. An ambitious reclamation plan has been designed (Soil Erosion Control Plan) for re-vegetation of 
embankment, cutting slopes, tunnel portals, borrow pits and disposal sites to restore ecological conditions. 
Aesthetic impacts and measures have been identified for all scenic areas including: (i) special design of 
terminals to ensure compatibility with local architecture and landscape; designs approved by local 
governments; and (ii) tunnel portals with re-vegetation plans to minimize visual impacts; bridges will also be 
designed with consideration to landscape which could turn them into new scenic areas. 
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN 
 
A
detailed Environmental Management Plan (EMP) addressing all issues identified in the EIA (i) organizes 
all measures to mitigate environmental impacts during the construction and operation; and (ii) establishes an 
organizational structure, procedures, institutional responsibilities for implementation, and a budget and 
source of financing for each activity. The EMP also includes environmental monitoring and capacity building 
programs. Main components of the EMP are: 
·
Environmental protection measures in design stage
:
mitigation measures have been incorporated 
in project design: slope stabilization, noise reduction, landscaping, and special design of terminals. 
·
Environmental protection measures during construction
:
these include: additional surveys 
(cultural resources), environmental specifications for construction, camp management, restoration of 
affected areas, access roads and disposal sites 
·
Environmental protection measures during operation
:
mainly monitoring programs.
 
Management Organization and Responsibilities.
Environment management responsibilities have been 
defined. Environmental management during construction involves the Project Office of Guiyang-Guangzhou 
Railway Corporation, Contractors and Environmental Supervision Engineers (Figure 3). During operation, 
environmental management responsibilities will rest with Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Corporation
.
Project Office of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway 
Corporation 
Environmental Supervision Engineer 
(ESE)
Contractors 
Environmental 
Monitoring Stations 
(EMS)
Environmental 
Consultant (E
S)
Figure
Environmental
Management
during
Construction
Page  24
24
Environmental Monitoring. 
Comprehensive environmental monitoring programs have been designed for 
both construction and operation phases. Monitoring includes water quality, noise, hydrology, construction 
dust and noise, as well as soil erosion and vegetation restoration. The Project Office will entrust 
environmental monitoring stations to carry out these plans
.
During operation, environmental monitoring will 
be carried out by provincial and prefecture (municipal) environmental protection bureaus, forestry bureaus, 
and water conservancy bureaus, which will be responsible for submitting the annual report on environmental 
management and for compiling the reports of environmental monitoring. 
 
All personnel of the Project Office Environment Protection Section and construction workers will receive 
environmental training at least one time before commencement of construction. Key environmental 
administrative and monitoring personnel will also go through technical training provided by the project. 
 
Environmental Supervision. 
During construction, environmental supervision shall be carried out by 
qualified supervision unit reporting to the Project Office of the Guiguang-Guangzhou Railway Corporation. 
Each Supervision Engineer company will be required by contract to assign one Environmental Supervision 
Engineer. The Environmental Supervision Engineers will: 
·
Review and assess on behalf of the Project Office whether the construction design meets the 
requirements of the mitigation and management measures of the EIA and EMP,  
·
Supervise site environmental management system of contractors including their performance, 
experience and handling of site environmental issues, and provide corrective instructions; 
·
Review the EMP implementation by the contractors and subcontractors, verify and confirm 
environmental supervision procedures, parameters, monitoring locations, equipment and results;  
·
Report EMP implementation status to Project Office and prepare the environmental supervision 
statement during the construction period; and 
·
Approve invoices or payments. 
 
PUBLIC CONSULTATION AND DISCLOSURE 
 
A
combination of opinion surveys and public meetings in the townships, village committee and affected 
villagers’ homes have been implemented during preparation of the EA and Resettlement Action Plan. Each 
mitigation measure was determined by suggestions from both experts and public. Most of the concerns have 
been incorporated either in project design or in the environmental management plan or resettlement plan. 
A
brief edition of the EA for this project was made accessible on the website of China Railway Eryuan 
Engineering Group Co., Ltd. (http://www.crssdi.com), to collect opinions, suggestions and concerns from 
communities along the line and public in general. Suggestions were provided via telephone, fax and e-mail. 
After the first draft of Environmental Impact Report was completed, a summary was published in the 
China 
Environment Newspaper 
from October 9 to 19 in 2007. 
The Environmental Impact Report has been reviewed by National Environment Protection Bureau in July of 
2008, and this news was published in “China Environment Newspaper” on Aug.1, 2008. The content of the 
report is accessible to all interested parties in the Environment Evaluation Unit, China Railway Eryuan 
Engineering Group Co., Ltd., and the Environment Protection Bureaus of each province or city. 
The EA and EMP, as well as the Resettlement Action and the Ethnic Minority Development Plan, have also 
been sent formally to the World Bank’s INFOSHOP in Washington, DC.