Construction started yesterday on the Beijing-Tianjin high-speed rail link, set to slash travel time between the two cities to half an hour.

The project is scheduled for completion before June 2008, in time for the Beijing Olympics.

Minister of Railways Liu Zhijun was quoted by the Beijing-based China News Service as saying the railway would help enhance economic development in the region.

Liu said the project would be of first-class quality and provide a model for passenger rail transport across the country.

The project is backed by the Ministry of Railways and the Beijing and Tianjin local governments.

The railway will be 115 kilometres long, with investment in the project totalling 12.3 billion yuan (U$S1.48 billion). According to the China News Service report, a series of advanced technologies are being adopted to ensure trains are safe, stable, comfortable and run on time.

The project is among a number of high-speed railways planned throughout China as demand for speedy domestic travel rises along with the country's rapid economic development. Construction of a high-speed link between Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, and Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, began on June 23.

(China Daily July 5, 2005)