Beijing Municipality and Hebei Province are to collaborate on a new passenger railway network capable of speeds of 250 up to 350 kilometers per hour before the end of the 11th Five-Year Plan period (2006-2010).

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In total, the 82.6 billion yuan (US$10.9 billion) network will add 844 kilometers of rail, including high speed and passenger railway and will cover parts of the Beijing-Shanghai, Beijing-Guangzhou, and Tianjin-Qinhuangdao lines.

From its center in Beijing, the railway network will spread in every direction to cities nearby, including Baoding, Shijiazhuang, Langfang, Tangshan, Qinhuangdao, and Zhangjiakou. The network will also connect with the high speed passenger railway in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province.

The existing railway inside Hebei Province, which is also currently under transformation, will soon be able to travel at speeds of between 160 and up to 200 kilometers per hour.

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