Forced to restrain its ambitious expansion plans following a fatal crash last month, China's Ministry of Railways has also seen a slowdown in its fund-raising.

　　繼上月發生了造成人員傷亡的重大撞車事故后，中國鐵道部不僅雄心勃勃的鐵路擴張計劃被迫受到遏制，在籌資方面它也放緩了腳步。

　　The ministry, one of China's biggest borrowers, successfully tapped the domestic debt market Thursday for 20 billion yuan (about $3.1 billion) in short-term funds. Still, it was forced to pay a higher interest rate─and borrow on shorter terms─than a big arm of the Chinese government might expect, as it continues to grapple with the fallout of a July high-speed rail crash that left 42 people dead and injured more than 190.

　　鐵道部是中國最大的借款機構之一，周四成功利用國內債市發行了價值人民幣200億元(約合31億美元)的短期融資券。盡管發行成功，但其融資券利率高于市場對中國大型政府部門的預期，且借貸期限較短。鐵道部目前仍在努力應對今年7月高速列車撞車事故的后果，這次事故造成42人死亡，190多人受傷。

　　The difference so far has been small for an agency whose first-quarter obligations totaled 1.98 trillion yuan, so far likely amounting to just a few million dollars. But it reflects negative public sentiment and could result in longer-term financial pressure if its operations come under further question.

　　對于第一季度債務總額高達1.98萬億元的鐵道部來說，這種利差到目前為止算是小的，可能只相當于幾百萬美元。但這反映出公眾對它的負面情緒，如果高速鐵路的運營繼續受到質疑，可能會給它帶來較長期的財務壓力

　　The accident shocked a nation fed a steady diet of official media reports portraying the high-speed rail as a glowing success. The rail ministry has been the target of blistering criticism from a usually tame official media, angered over a lack of information and crude attempts to quash negative reports.

　　這次撞車事故舉國震驚，官方媒體原先的大量報道一直稱中國的高速鐵路建設取得了極大的成功。一般對政府部門十分客氣的官方媒體這次對鐵道部進行了猛烈抨擊，因為他們也被鐵道部信息匱乏和壓制負面報道的粗魯舉動所激怒。

　　The ministry has stood by its initial explanation of the cause of the crash─described as a signaling problem─but has offered little fresh information pending the outcome of an investigation.

　　鐵道部一直堅持自己對撞車起因的初步解釋(即信號問題)，在調查結果出來之前，幾乎沒有提供什么新信息。

　　Instead it has tried to burnish its public image by replacing a spokesman whose most memorable performance was his hasty departure from a press conference, chased by local reporters insisting that he answer more questions. It has also been operating its trains at reduced speeds and has been forced to lure wary customers back by slashing ticket prices.

　　而另一方面，為了改善自己的公眾形象，鐵道部換了發言人。以前的發言人最讓人印象深刻的是他匆匆離開新聞發布會，身后追著一群堅持要他回答更多問題的中國記者。另外，鐵道部一直在給列車降速，還被迫削減票價以吸引那些對列車運行安全持謹慎態度的旅客。

　　The ministry has also sacked three senior officials and cut service on its prestigious Beijing-Shanghai high-speed route as the manufacturers recalled trains for testing.

　　鐵道部解雇了三位高級官員，縮減了京滬高鐵線的運行車次，原因是生產商召回列車進行測試。

　　That adds to pre-crash problems. A former minister and deputy chief engineer have been removed for alleged 'severe violations of discipline' as authorities probe embezzlement at the ministry, according to state media.

　　慘劇發生前鐵道部就暴露出了問題，現在一來更是麻煩纏身。據中國官方媒體的報道，前鐵道部長和副總工程師因“嚴重違紀”被免去職務，有關當局正在調查該部內部的貪污問題。

　　The rail ministry, which had said it wanted more funds to buy trains and finance railway construction, received a mixed report from the bond market on Thursday. The ministry had to pay 5.25% interest on the 90-day bills it sold at auction─lower than the 5.55% it had to pay two weeks ago─the first time it came to market after the crash. But the interest rate was still more than it paid before the crash, when it tapped the market for one-year funds at a cost of 5.18%.

　　鐵道部周四的舉債行為反響不一。它曾說希望得到更多資金來采購列車并為鐵路建設融資。鐵道部90天期融資券中標利率5.25%，這是撞車事故發生后鐵道部首次舉債。雖然這個利率水平低于兩周前的5.55%，但還是要比撞車前高，當時鐵道部發行一年期債券的利率是5.18%。

　　More tellingly, the ministry has chosen not to make longer term borrowings just yet. In May it was able to sell five-year bonds at 4.98%.

　　更值得注意的是，鐵道部選擇不在此時發行較長期債券。今年5月，鐵道部發行的五年期債券利率為4.98%。

　　'The Ministry of Railways still needs one or two more months to return to the long-term bond financing market, after the train crash fades from investors' memories,' said Wang Yifeng, a bond analyst at Shanghai Securities.

　　上海證券的債券分析師王一峰(音)說，鐵道部仍需要一兩個月的時間才能回到長期債券融資市場，也就是等投資者對撞車事故的記憶逐漸消失以后。

　　By contrast, China's finance ministry─which offers tax-free interest on its debt─managed to raise 10-year money at a cost of only 3.93% on Wednesday. 相比之下，中國財政部周三發行的10年期債券利率僅為3.93%，債券利息所得免稅。

　　The ministry has sold bond aggressively in recent years, raising a total of 115.5 billion yuan worth of debt last year, followed by 105 billion yuan in offerings between January and July this year.

　　鐵道部近年來在發債方面十分積極，去年共舉債1,155億元，今年1月至7月又發行了1,050億元的債券。

　　Some bond traders said many of the jitters were unjustified, given the ministry's likely backing from the central government.

　　一些債券交易商說，鑒于中央政府可能會給鐵道部做后盾，投資者的很多不安其實沒有道理。