China suspended a second senior railways official, the latest official to be implicated in a corruption probe that led to the dismissal of Minister of Railways Liu Zhijun in February.

Zhang Shuguang, the 55-year-old deputy chief engineer at the ministry who was believed to be close to Liu, is being investigated by the Central Commission for Discipline and Inspection for an alleged "severe violation of discipline", the official China Daily reported.

It did not provide more details, but the term was also used in Liu's investigation and typically results in criminal charges.

Zhang had been a strong supporter of Liu's plans to rapidly expand China's high-speed rail network, the newspaper said, and the move stirs speculation about how deeply the investigation will spread through the ministry's ranks.

Liu was replaced on Feb. 12 as minister and as the ministry's Communist Party chief by Sheng Guangzu, 62, the former head of China's General Administration of Customs.

China is in the midst of a massive investment programme to build a faster and bigger railway network. The government plans to spend $120 billion a year, over several years, on railway construction.

Liu's brother, Liu Zhixiang, was given a suspended death sentence in April 2006 for a long list of crimes, including hiring an assassin, bribery and embezzlement of funds. (Reuters)