High-speed rail corridor in west China to link north with south   

七省区筹划西部高铁通道 将串起六大城市群

(ECNS) - China is planning a new high-speed railway linking Baotou, a city in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, with Haikou, in South China's Hainan province, to provide a fast link across China's western region, the National Business Daily reported on Tuesday.

The railway, with trains running an average of 350 km per hour, will pass through six national mega-city clusters, namely the Baotou-Erdos-Yulin City Cluster - one of China's most important energy bases; the Guanzhong-Tianshui City Cluster - an important point on  President Xi Jinping's initiative Silk Road Economic Belt; the Chengyu Urban Cluster - the fastest developing cluster nationwide; the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan City Cluster - a leading area of China's urban integration construction; and the Beibu Gulf City Cluster and the Pearl River Delta - both important zones on President Xi's other initiative, the 21st Maritime Silk Road.

Tourism will also benefit from the new high-speed rail as it passes through tourist destinations including Inner Mongolia, Yan'an and Xi'an in Shanxi province, Zhangjiajie in Hunan province, Guilin in Guangxi province and Haikou in Hainan province.

Dong Yan, a researcher at the NDRC's Academy of Macroeconomic Research, says the nation's expanding high-speed railway projects will enhance transportation capacities, reduce travel time between cities and benefit China's industrial transformation.

Director of the State Railway Administration Lu Dongfu says China's high speed rail scheme is expanding to the country's west, matching China's new economic development strategies.

However, Dong says this large-scale project will need substantial upfront investment, as it passes through seven provinces, including many underdeveloped regions.