The construction of an express passenger railway which links
Beijing with Shijiazhuang, capital of north China's Hebei province,
will begin in June and finish in four years.
The National Development and Reform Commission has approved the
project, and a ground breaking will be done on June 1, said a
source with the city government of Shijiazhuang, adding a special
company will be set up to take charge of the construction.
The new line is planned to alleviate transport pressure on the
northern end of Beijing-Guangzhou railway, a north-south trunk
route, and boost the development of areas around Beijing.
The projected route will stretch 281 km starting from Beijing
West Railway Station and ending at Shijiazhuang South Railway
Station. Trains can run at a speed of 350 km per hour. Speed in the
initial stage can be 300 km per hour.
The new railway will take four years to complete. By that time,
the journey from Beijing to Shijiazhuang only lasts about an hour,
roughly halving the current travel time.
The investment of 43.87 billion yuan (about 6.01 billion U.S.
dollars), will be shared by the Ministry of Railways and the
governments of Beijing Municipality and Hebei Province.
While addressing a national work conference held in Beijing on
Friday, Minister of Railways Liu Zhijun disclosed that the country planned
to invest 300 billion yuan (41 billion U.S. dollars) to lay 7,820
km of railways this year.
(Xinhua News Agency January 12, 2008)