Construction of a high-speed railway began on Saturday to connect central China's Henan and Hubei provinces with southwestern Chongqing Municipality.
The construction of the Henan section of the railway, totaling 350 kilometers, started in Pingdingshan City, with an estimated investment of 42 billion yuan (6.6 billion U.S. dollars).
The 818-km electrified railway links Zhengzhou, provincial capital of Henan, with Wanzhou District of Chongqing, with a designed speed of 350 km per hour. The total invesment is estimated at around 120 billion yuan.
When completed, the railway will cut the travel time between Zhengzhou and Chongqing from 17 hours to four hours.
