The construction of a new high-speed railway connecting Guangzhou, the largest city in south China, and Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, will start within the year.

The railway, with a length of 560 km, will require an investment of 29.5 billion yuan which will be shared by the Chinese Ministry of Railways, Guangdong Province and Guangxi, said an official from Guangxi autonomous regional commission of development and reform.

The Guangzhou-Nanning railway will have two electrified routes capable of accommodating passenger trains running at speeds of up to 250 km per hour, according to the official.

"The line will help cut the travel time from Nanning to Guangzhou from the present 12 and a half hours to three hours and a half," said the official, who added that the railway would form a high-speed transport link connecting southeast China coast to members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

China launched new high-speed rail services on April 18 linking Beijing to Harbin, Beijing to Shanghai and Beijing to Guangzhou.

(Xinhua News Agency June 15, 2007)