Groundbreaking ceremonies for a high-speed railway were held simultaneously in several cities in east China's Yangtze River Delta region on Friday.
The 163-km railway track designed for a speed of 350 km per hour will open a new route connecting Shanghai with neighboring cities in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. It is the latest project to facilitate regional integration in the country.
The railway route, which is being built with an investment of 38 billion yuan (5.3 billion U.S. dollars), has seven stations and is expected to serve as a new transportation artery in the city cluster.
Construction also began on another intercity railway linking Yangzhou City in Jiangsu Province with Ma'anshan in Anhui Province in the Yangtze River Delta region on Friday.
Construction of 76 large infrastructure connectivity projects including railways, expressways, airports, waterways and ports has started so far this year in the region, with total outlay exceeding 1 trillion yuan.
