Road, rail links to bring regions closer together

An integrated transportation network will get a major boost in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area this year as regional authorities seek to improve coordination.

The high-speed rail line between Beijing and Tianjin only takes 30 minutes. But transportation links connecting Hebei to the two municipalities have room to improve.

That situation is set to change this year. A freeway connecting Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei, to Tianjin is under construction.

Also being built this year are multiple freeways and high-speed rail links, cutting the commute between Hebei and Beijing or Tianjin to about an hour, according to transportation authorities in Hebei.

"The transportation network between Hebei and Tianjin has the potential to expand. The high-speed railway between Shijiazhuang and Tianjin will be completed in 2015," said Hebei Governor Zhang Qingwei.

Tianjin Mayor Huang Xingguo said that high-speed rail and road links between Hebei and Tianjin will boost development and increase cooperation.

A convenient transportation network will benefit residents in the region.

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