China plans to spend 20 billion yuan (about US$2.5 billion) in
the coming three years to foster railway construction in the
northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the regional railway
authorities has said.
Meanwhile, the central government will inspire nationwide
businesses to invest in railway construction in the region, where
local input on railways totaled less than five billion yuan (US$617
million) in the past 30 years.
At least 2,500 kilometers of railways are under construction in
Inner Mongolia to link the autonomous region with the city of
Zhangjiakou in Hebei Province, Shenmu County in Shaanxi Province
and Datong in Shanxi Province.
For example, a 177-km-long electrified railway extending from
the city of Ji'ning in Inner Mongolia to Zhangjiakou is expected to
shorten the travel distance between the regional capital Hohhot and
Beijing by 125 kilometers.
Most new railways are being built to ease Inner Mongolia's
pressure in coal transport. Upon their completion, they will
connect Inner Mongolia with major ports including Tianjin and
Qinhuangdao.
Inner Mongolia, one of China's main pastoral areas, has 223.4
billion tons of coal reserves, 22.3 percent of China's total. There
are six large coalfields in the region, each with 10 billion tons
of proven reserves.
(Xinhua News Agency January 5, 2006)