CHINA Railway Construction Corp, builder of more than half the nation's railroads, said its order backlog expanded 58 percent last year as it won contracts overseas and gained the expertise to handle complex projects.

Orders on hand rose to 323 billion yuan (US$46 billion) last year, the Beijing-based builder said in a statement to the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The company won 287 billion yuan of new contracts in 2007, 35 percent more than the previous year, Bloomberg News reported.

Economic growth in emerging markets and surging oil prices are spurring spending on facilities to transport and refine the fuel.

China Railway Construction gained 2.4 percent to HK$11.96 in Hong Kong.