Chinese officials have blamed lax safety standards and design flaws for the deadly crash of a bullet train in July. The accident sparked widespread anger over the condition of the country's public transit system.

Forty people were killed when the train traveling in the eastern province of Zhejiang crashed into another train that had stalled on the tracks.

In a highly-anticipated report released Wednesday, China's cabinet blamed the crash on 54 officials in the country's railways ministry, promising they would receive administrative punishments.

The investigation confirmed earlier reports that a design flaw in the signaling equipment prevented a green light from turning to red after a lightning strike halted a train on a high-speed line south of Shanghai. That flaw, along with mistakes by signal operators, caused a second train to smash into the first, toppling several carriages off a bridge.

It singled out former railways minister Liu Zhijun, who was fired last February amid allegations of graft linked to rapid expansion of the nation's rail network. It said he carries the “main leadership responsibility” for the crash.

Authorities are also considering whether to proceed with criminal charges against responsible officials.

The report said the railways ministry did not “properly handle rescue efforts, did not issue information in a timely manner and did not correctly address public concerns.”

China's ambitious and rapidly expanding high-speed rail program has suffered several embarrassing setbacks in recent months. Last week, the debt-ridden railways ministry announced plans to curb spending on railway construction by 15 percent in 2012.