Beijing-Xiongan intercity rail to start construction in March

The aerial photo taken on Jan 1, 2018 shows a view of Baiyangdian, one of the largest freshwater wetlands in North China, in Anxin county, North China's Hebei province. [Photo/Xinhua]

An intercity railway linking Beijing and the Xiongan New Area will start construction in March, the Beijing News reported Monday, citing a report by China Railway Design Corp.

The construction of the 92.783-kilometer intercity line, with a total investment of 33.38 billion yuan ($5.22 billion), is scheduled to last for two years and be completed in Feb 2020, the report said.

The line will start from Liying Railway Station in Beijing's Daxing district, pass through Beijing's new airport, and terminate at Xiongan Railway Station in Xiongxian county.

According to the report, the Beijing-Xiongan intercity rail line will be divided into three sections: Beijing West Railway Station-Liying Railway Station, Liying Railway Station-Beijing's new airport, and Beijing's new airport-Xiongan.

The design speed of the Liying-Beijing's new airport line is set at 250 kilometers per hour, while the Beijing's new airport-Xiongan line is 350 kilometers per hour.

Meanwhile, the Beijing-Xiongan intercity line will stop at five stations, including three new added stations: Gu'an East station, Bazhou North station and Xiongan station.

China announced plans in April 2017 to establish the Xiongan New Area about 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing. It covers Hebei's Xiongxian, Rongcheng and Anxin counties.

A transportation plan showing how the Xiongan New Area will link with Beijing, Tianjin and other areas in Hebei province was unveiled, China Central Television earlier reported.

According to the plan, four north-south high-speed railway lines and two east-west routes will pass through Xiongan. Besides railways, the network map also includes seven expressways that will connect the new area to regions near and far.