Travel time between Shanghai and Nanjing will be cut in half in the next few years after a new rail line goes into operation, officials said yesterday.

 

The 22.4 billion yuan (US$2.8 billion) project is part of a larger state-level transport blueprint to build the Yangtze Delta region into an Asian economic gateway.

 

Preliminary plans envision a new rail line between Shanghai and Nanjing that will be around 300 kilometers long and allow speeds up to 200 kilometers an hour.

 

Trips between Shanghai and the Jiangsu Province capital will be reduced to an hour and a half from the present three to four hours as a result of new rails and equipment.

 

Stops along the way will include the cities of Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou and Zhenjiang.

 

There was no immediate word on when construction will be completed.

 

In addition to the Shanghai-Nanjing railway, the central government has also endorsed plans to build new high-speed lines linking Nanjing and Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province and Anqing in Anhui Province.

 

"The new railways will alleviate overcrowding on the present routes," said Xu Daofang, a senior engineer at the Shanghai Transport Engineering Society.

 

The regional transport plan also calls for a new 37.5 kilometer expressway to be built between Shanghai and Suzhou.

 

The Suzhou section of the six-lane expressway is done, and the Shanghai stretch is expected to start construction next year. The completion date was not announced.

 

Also under the plan, Shanghai's public transport card - which can be used on the city's Metro, bus, ferry and taxi networks - will be honored in the 16 Yangtze Delta cities.

 

(Shanghai Daily November 23, 2006)