Beijing, Hebei, Tianjin to get fast rail links

BEIJING - Beijing is planning to build a fast rail transit line that will go through its neighboring Hebei Province, part of efforts to boost regional coordinated development.

Of the 72-kilometer Pinggu line to connect Chaoyang District with the suburban Pinggu District, 22 km will go through Hebei, according to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport.

The line is part of a plan to build 1,000 kilometers of fast rail transit lines linking Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei. Trains running on these lines can reach 160 km per hour, compared to the average 35 km per hour of Beijing's subways.

Zhou Zhengyu, director of the commission, said transportation is important to the integrated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei.

The government has unveiled a series of measures to coordinate the development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei. An investment company has been established to support the construction of inter-city railways and rail transit lines in this region.