China has suspended operation of the Jiaoji high-speed railway and halted construction of the Tianjin-Qinhuangdao line on environmental violations, state media reported. On Wednesday the Ministry of Environmental Protection posted a notice on its website, saying the line between Tianjin municipality and Qinhuangdao, Hebei province, could not continue construction as it had not applied for re-evaluation after changing some route locations. Meanwhile, the Jiaoji passenger railway between Qingdao and Jinan, Shangdong province, was ordered to halt operation because the line had not passed an environmental assessment, according to an April 25 ministry notice. The two notices come amid a wider shake-up at the Ministry of Railways, including the dismissal of railway minister Liu Zhijun for alleged “severe violation of discipline” in February and major changes in China’s ongoing high-speed rail expansion.