The Beijing-Tianjin express passenger railway, whose construction is now in full swing, will be completed and put into operation in 2008.

The 115.4-km intercity railway starts from the New South Railway Station of Beijing, and ends at the Tianjin Railway Station.

After completion, trains on the railway are capable to ride at a speed of 350 km per hour. It only takes half an hour to travel from Beijing to Tianjin, compared with current time of more than an hour by train, according to Tianjin traffic authorities.

The project started construction in July 2005, at a total cost of 12.34 billion yuan (1.56 billion U.S. dollars).

Passengers traveling by train between Tianjin and Beijing reaches 25.55 million a year. The number is expected to reach 32 million in 2008 and 54 million in 2015.

Source: Xinhua