Construction has begun on a passenger railway line running through northeast China, including the provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang, as part of the rejuvenation of the country's old industrial base.
The 904-km-long railway would link all three provincial capitals of the northeast region from Harbin, in Heilongjiang, to the coastal city of Dalian, in Liaoning.
The project would require an investment of 92.3 billion yuan (12.2 billion U.S. dollars) according to the feasibility study.
The new double-track electric power railway has a target running speed of 200 km per hour, and its infrastructure would be built to handle a higher speed of 350 km per hour.
The new passenger railway would be able to carry 120 sets of trains and transport 37.12 million passengers by 2020, and it aims to carry 165 sets of trains and 50.63 million passengers by 2030.
The new line would alleviate the pressure on the existing line between Harbin and Dalian, which is burdened with cargo transportation such as coal, petroleum, grain and timber.
The passenger railway would greatly improve the transportation capacity of the northeast region, said Liu Zhijun, head of the Ministry of Railways.
The line would be jointly built by the Ministry of Railways, Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, and the provincial governments would be responsible for land appropriation and relocation of residents.
The project construction and management will be undertaken by a company co-established by the four parties on Aug. 10.
Construction of the railway officially began last week, and it is expected to take five and a half years to complete.
Source: Xinhua
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