New railway to link Beijing-Hebei-Tianjin

BEIJING -- Northern Chinese transport authorities are aiming to build a second intercity railway between Beijing and neighboring Tianjin municipality this year, with a route incorporating a stop in Hebei province.

Intercity trains started transporting passengers between the two cities in 2008, but that route does not stop in Hebei. The new service forms part of the region's development plan, based on integrating Beijing and its surrounding areas.

Tianjin-bound trains on the route will stop in Hebei's Xianghe County and Tianjin's Baodi District before reaching the destination of Binhai New District in eastern Tianjin, Liu Bozheng, an official with the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform, said on Monday.

Last year, state-owned enterprise China Railway and other investors from Beijing, Hebei and Tianjin pumped 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) into establishing an intercity train company that is now drafting transportation development plans for the region.

The company will launch an intercity railway between Beijing and Hebei's Tangshan city this year.