* 58 other stations use same signaling system

The signaling used at Wenzhou South station, which many people are blaming for Saturday’s crash, is identical to that employed at 58 other stations across the country, deputy rail minister Peng Kaiyu has said.

He added that the other equipment is being checked.

 * Government Doubles Offer of Compensation For Families of Victims

The government on Friday said that relatives of those killed in the crash will receive 915,000 yuan, almost twice its previous offer of 500,000 yuan.

Some people have been refusing the compensation, demanding instead that the government release details on the cause of the accident.

* News Producer Punished After Interviewing Victims

A television producer for China’s state news channel has been suspended after a half-hour report that featured hospital interviews with survivors of the crash, a Southern Weekly reporter wrote on his microblog.

Wang Qinglei, who produced 24 hours for CCTV, wrote on his own blog that “journalists, doctors and teachers can help protect basic human rights” and that “as long as a country has journalists who resist pressure…it still has the soul.”

* Report into Crash Causes Due In September

The State Council’s investigative team aims to complete its investigation by September, its head Luo Lin said on Thursday.

* Death toll climbs to 40 

 The death of factory owner Chen Wei late on Thursday night brought the toll to 40, Caixin Online reported.

Chen’s family was with him in the Wenzhou hospital, where he had been in a coma for the last few days.  

* Banks May Raise Interest Rates on Railway’s Loans

State owned banks are likely to charge the Ministry of Railways higher interest on its debts, one unnamed banker told Guangzhou Daily.

Beijing Times quoted another baker who stressed the ministry’s ”strong bargaining power...they change banks if they are not satisfied,” he said.

The ministry had total debt of 1.25 trillion yuan in 2010, but only paid 25 billion yuan in interest.

* Railways Ministry Denies Attempt to Bury Evidence

The Ministry of Railways denied that it had tried to “to destroy the evidence” by burying the crushed carriage.

The ministry said it was necessary to lower the carriage into a pit to make space for a crane to do rescue work, People’s Daily reported on July 28.

Links

Xinhua: 駱琳:"7·23"溫州動車事故調查結果爭取9月中旬公布

People’s Daily: 鐵道部回應：“掩埋車頭 銷毀證據(jù)”不實

The Beijing Times: 信號設備設計缺陷導致事故

The Beijing Times: 鐵道部新借貸款利率難獲優(yōu)惠

Legal Daily: 信號設備設計方否認為溫州動車追尾事故負責

Guangzhou Daily: 銀行醞釀提高鐵道貸款利率

China Youth: 通號院能否為“7·23”特大事故負責

Beijing Morning Post: 信號設備嚴重缺陷導致追尾

China News: “7·23”事故一福建籍乘客搶救無效遇難

Caixin Online: “7·23”溫州動車事故死亡人數(shù)升至40人

Sina Weibo: Yu Nan’s Microblog

Phoenix TV: Top Image

Sina Weibo: Wang Qinglei’s Microblog