The construction of the high-speed railway between Beijing and Shanghai should start as soon as possible, said Chinese Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan on Thursday.

To ease transport tension, China should speed up work on key railway projects that have not yet started, Zeng said at a symposium on the country's railway development in Beijing.

As for projects under construction, work quality should be stressed, he said. These projects include the Beijing-Tianjin express railway, and Zhengzhou-Xi'an and Wuhan-Guangzhou passenger railways.

Zeng said the transport rush during the Chinese Lunar New Year should be well organized, and railway workers should beef up efforts to improve services and ensure safety.

The construction of the Beijing-Shanghai express railway, which was supposed to start last year, was delayed because the original budget underestimated the cost of construction by more than 50 percent. When the railway is finished in 2010, the nine-hour trip will only take five hours.