) is a Chinese politician. He was the Minister of Railways

Ministry of Railways of the People's Republic of China

The Ministry of Railways of the People's Republic of China is a member of the State Council of the People's Republic of China...

 in the People's Republic of China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

 from 2003 to 2011. He was removed from the party chief of the ministry on February 12, 2011, and from office in the 11th NPC Standing Committee's 19th meeting on February 25 because of allegations of corruption. He was previously the Vice Minister, Chief Despatcher of Chinese Railways and the Director General of Shenyang Railway Administration.

Minister of Railways

Liu succeeded then-Minister Fu Zhihuan

Fu Zhihuan

Fu Zhihuan is a politician of the People's Republic of China, and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He served as the Minister of Railways of China from March 1998 to 2003....

 in March 2003 at the annual meeting of the National People's Congress

National People's Congress

The National People's Congress , abbreviated NPC , is the highest state body and the only legislative house in the People's Republic of China. The National People's Congress is held in the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, capital of the People's Republic of China; with 2,987 members, it is the...

. Liu aimed to develop China's railway system in a "leapfrog" fashion, and earned the nickname "Leap Liu". In July 2006, Liu oversaw the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the world's highest railway by elevation. He oversaw the fifth and sixth Comprehensive Speed Upgrades of the national railway network, as well as the intensive construction of a new national high-speed rail

High-speed rail in China

High-speed rail in China refers to any commercial train service in the China with an average speed of or higher. By that measure, China has the world's longest high-speed rail network with about of routes in service as of June 2011 including of rail lines with top speeds of...

 network, which Liu has taken on with particular rigour and regards as one of his favourite projects. Liu describes his achievement as having created a network with a comprehensive system involving indigenous Chinese intellectual property. He stated that China has created high-speed railway system that has the "greatest comprehensive technology, best integrative ability, highest operational distance, fastest operational speed, and largest scale of construction" in the world.

During his tenure, the ministry was criticized for its illegitimate business interests and relationships with large companies, its inability to improve conditions for migrant workers during the Chunyun

Chunyun

Chunyun, , also referred to as Spring Festival travel season, or Chunyun period, is a period of travel in China with extremely high traffic load around the time of the Chinese New Year. The period usually begins 15 days before the Lunar New Year's Day and lasts for around 40 days...

period, its slow response to the widespread winter storms

2008 Chinese winter storms

The 2008 Chinese winter storms（2008年中国雪灾、2008年中国南方雪灾）are a series of winter storm events that affected large portions of southern and central China starting on 25 January 2008 until 6 February 2008. The systems affected most of the area with heavy snows, ice and cold temperatures causing extensive...

 in 2008, as well as its failure to prevent the 2008 train collision in Shandong and the smaller collision in Hunan a year later

2009 Hunan train collision

The Chenzhou train collision occurred on June 29, 2009, at Chenzhou railway station in Hunan province, China, when two passenger trains collided, leaving at least three people dead and 63 injured. The crash occurred at 02:34 local time, between express trains numbered K9017 and K9063. A brake...

. In addition, Liu was personally subject to online criticism for his repeated marriages. His brother Liu Zhixiang, a lower-level railways official based in Wuhan, was convicted of corruption charges in 2006 and sentenced to death, suspended for two years.

Investigation

During February 2011, Liu Zhijun was under investigation over alleged "severe violation of discipline" by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, and was dismissed from his position as party chief of the ministry on 12 February. His dismissal was linked to an earlier corruption case involving Shanxi business magnate Ding Yuxin (former name Ding Shumiao) of Boyou Investment Management Group Ltd., a company whose portfolio has benefited greatly from the explosion of high-speed rail construction in China. Prior to his dismissal, Liu spent ten days travelling across the country to ensure the smooth operations of the railway system during the Chunyun period. His downfall came suddenly and unexpectedly.