According to a staffer of the Zhangjiakou Transport Bureau, construction on the new Beijing-Zhangjiakou railway will start by the end of 2013. By cutting the commute from five hours to about 40 minutes, the railway should facilitate economic partnerships between the two cities, the Beijing Daily reported.
When completed, trains will depart from Beijing North Railway Station and make stops in Haidian, Changping, Yanqing, Shacheng, Xiahuayuan, Xuanhua. It is designed to reach speeds of up to 350 kilometers per hour.