Extension line of China's first high-speed railway starts running
An extension of China's first high-speed railway started services on Sunday with only about one hour travel time from Beijing to Tianjin's coastal commercial district.
The new line extends from Tianjin High Speed Railway Station, the previous terminal, to Yujiapu business district in Binhai New Area.
The extension is part of a bigger plan for the integration of Beijing, neighboring Tianjin Municipality and Hebei province.
"A one-hour transportation grid, formed by inter-city rails and metros, will be formed in a 70-kilometer radius around Beijing," said Zhou Zhengyu, director of Beijing transport commission .
The extension runs over 45 kilometers at a designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour. Yujiapu station is underground with convenient links to subway, buses and other public transportation. Besides the extension, at last six other inter-city lines in the city area are under construction.Twenty four new intercity rail lines will come into being in the region by 2050, with combined length of 3,453 km.
In addition, more than 940 kilometers of highway will be built in the next two years. "Travel time within the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei circle will be under three hours," said Zhou.
http://en.people.cn/n/2015/0920/c90882-8952527.html
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High-speed rail in NE China linking borders of North Korea and Russia starts operation
The high-speed railway from Changchun to Hunchun, eastern most city of China, officially opened to traffic on Sept. 20. It connects the borders of China, North Korea and Russia, Xinhua reports on Monday, quoting resources of China's National Radio.
The railway starts from Changchun, capital city of northeastern China's Jilin province, and runs all the way to Hunchun in only three hours and five minutes. It is a major part of the rapid transportation network in northeastern region of China.
It is also China's gateway to North Korea and Russia in Northeast Asia and an important channel to the Sea of Japan.
The high-speed railway will run through the beautiful scenic spots in Jilin province, including the Songhua Lake, Changbai Mountain and Jiaohe Red Leave Valley, so it is dubbed as the most beautiful high-speed railway in China's northeast region.
http://en.people.cn/n/2015/0921/c90000-8952808.html
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China's first rail route to Hunchun city bordering Russia and the DPRK was put into operation on Sun. The Jituhun line has been crowned “NE. China’s most beautiful high-speed rail” for the spectacular scenery.